Superman: Arisen
by ImperfectSystem
Summary: Your name is Kal-El. You are the only survivor of the planet Krypton. Even though you've been raised as a human, you are not one of them. They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you, my only son. Before the blue...before the cape...
1. PROLOGUE

**Prologue:**

**HOUSE OF EL**

* * *

It tore me apart, watching my world rip itself into pieces right before my eyes. The imprisonment of General Zod had done little to diminish the rebellion he started. Sometimes I find myself sympathising with their cause, a stand against Krypton's dictators, were it not for the fact that they weren't fighting for peace or liberty, or what was right. They embodied chaos in its basic yet unnatural form. Murder, corruption—they sought a way to throw us all in degradation. Seeing as only those who joined in their rebellion would be allowed to live, whose House shall be allowed to flourish.

I sighed.

It all started with the prohibition of space travel a mere century ago. The destruction of the space ports and interstellar research centres by the Elder Council. We were completely cut off from the rest of the cosmos, left to fend for ourselves even in the harshest of times, and Zod was not helping.

Still, I could not shake off the feeling of dread and confusion in my head. The calculations were solid. There was no question. Sometimes I even feel it in the ground. We had harvested the planet for far too long without giving time for the planet to recover. That and the constant explosions and chemical warfare has accelerated the process of implosion. We were all going to die.

I had presented my findings to the Council. As a well-known and respected scientist at the United Institute, I expected to be taken a little more seriously, but I was laughed off. Even the Book of Rao explained that the planet would die if we didn't look after it, then there was the fact it also said that the sun was slowly drawing the planet closer. If it wasn't the core's reacting, then it's the sun's blazing inferno. But I was made a laughing stock.

When I continued to push on they even threatened to imprison me in the Phantom Zone with Zod and his Rebel leaders. Funny, it was I who discovered the algorithm to open the gateway to that dimension. When the Council took the formula, I explained it's possible use to imprison deadly criminals in them, there they will have the opportunity to begin anew without bringing harm to Krypton. A more than fair enough deal if you ask me. But now I would be trapped in the very thing I helped bring in.

From my balcony I watched the events unfold. A simple protest against artificial population had escalated fast. What started off as citizens voicing complaints had become an inquisition, killing the majority. What had the world become?

I walk inside to find my study empty. I knew what I had to do, with so little resources left. I looked at the small spacecraft in the centre of the room. There were similar crafts all over Krypton, as a means of transportation, but five thousand feet above the first atmosphere was the limit before the craft would begin to malfunction. This one however, was the only one capable of space travel. I modified it a great deal using a similar engine as the scout ships of our pioneering age.

With a limited amount of time and resources, I was only able to make such a small ship, I was left with one conclusion.

I hear the door open and in comes a beautiful dark haired woman. I smile as my wife greets me, a covered baby in her hands.

She was part of the Kryptonian police once, my wife, before marrying me. But the corruption and the fanaticism were too much for her. In fact it was when she was assigned to protect me and my research team that our government showed their true faces.

They had attempted to enslave our kind with a tool to control minds. They used a super computer, hybrid with sentient supremacy—a brainiac, to override our consciousness and replace them with quite singular purposes. All of those purposes had us bowing down to the Council like they were gods. I saw the power they wrought. Blasphemy to Rao.

'Is it finished,' she asks, approaching me with a suggestive sway in her hips and a sympathetic smile on her face.

I groaned in my hands, tired. 'Almost,' I respond, 'just a few more alterations.'

'By Rao, Jor, you need to rest, take a break for a while. A breather.' Even with that tone I look at her and it doesn't escape me how beautiful she is. I praised Rao for his favour in winning the heart of the most beautiful creature on this planet. I have to tell you, she is hot and I question why a woman of her beauty would court let alone marry such a useless scholar like me.

'Lara, I can't. Not yet,' I snap but then my tone calms. 'This planet will explode within thirty days, if not sooner. I can't…' I was very, very stressed. Pinching the top of the bridge of my nose with my fingers, I sighed. 'The Council will not help us. I've given the blueprints to my brother for his own ship, hopefully theirs can hold them all.'

I watch as Lara's face falls. 'So there is only space for one?'

I nodded, simply, my head down, looking at the scribbles on my data-pad. 'The Council will never allow its citizens to leave, not now.'

'But Kal is only a child, Jor!' She hugged her son closer to her breasts, kissing him on his naked head. 'Unless your ship teleports outside the planet's atmosphere, I don't see a way he could get out safely. And even if he does, the course to Earth will be long. He'll die out there. And when he does make it, on Earth he'll be different. They'll call him a freak.'

I shook my head. I had done the math. The baby in her arms, my son, I look at him as I always do and feel the pride, a father's pride. 'He will be fast, virtually invulnerable—'

'He will be isolated, sad, and alone.'

'No,' again I shook my head and walked over to the ship where there was a control panel beside it. I pressed a button and a green crystal appeared in the middle. I took the mineral and examined its components. 'He will not be alone…. He will never be alone.' I see the top of the crystal begin to reshape. Its top surface now took the appearance of my symbol—the symbol of the House of El.

'Then what of the rebellion? No ship will ever make it out of the orbit. If the journey doesn't get him, then our own people will!'

'I know.' I stand up and walk over to her. I take them both within my arms. My loves, my family—people I'd do anything, risk anything for. 'But we have to try, Lara.'

'I know, but I just can't.' It was then that I knew her complaints had more levels than what she displayed outwardly. She looks into Kal's bright eyes full of wonder. He had his mother's blue eyes, as bright and blue as the Seas of Corinth. 'We'll never get to see him walk…' she whispers, tears forming under her eyes. 'We'll never hear him say our names.'

I open the spacecraft and inspect the inside. There was room in there, at least room enough to grow. I look at my wife, distraught with a grief she shouldn't be feeling yet. It pained me, a lot, but ultimately it had to be done. Were all intellectuals so heartless? I could never tell. I walk to her, an understanding smile on my face, trying with all my skills to hide the sadness behind them. I try to calm her, to reassure her…as well as myself. 'Lara, out there, amongst the stars…he will live.'

I give her a long kiss on her lips. There was so much, so much in that kiss and I was afraid to ever let them go. This was going to be the last moment where I finally have the family I've ever wanted. And now Krypton was going to tear it from my very arms.

Such a cruel universe.

I took my red cape bearing my House Sigil and wrap young Kal-El in it's warmth. Lara then placed our child within the spacecraft's cockpit.

With the crystal in my hands, the information needed to teach and train our child, prepare him for his life on Earth, I inserted the device into the ship's main computer drive. I was using a specific brainiac program, different to the ones most of the universe was using—Brainiac Type 5. Hopefully it will not corrupt.

We both step up to our son's side, I was holding Lara close to me as I feel the rumble beneath us. Apparently the planet's final process was accelerated even more. Once we had thirty or so days. Now I pray we be granted a few hours.

'You will travel far, my little Kal,' I said, allowing my words to reach him.

Then Lara started, trying hard to hold back her tears. 'We will never leave you...' her voice quivering, '…even in the face of our death.'

'The richness of our lives shall be yours. All that we have, all that we've learned, everything I feel... all this, and more, I...' Then I too feel my resolve weaken. I look to my son, smiling up at us and my heart breaks. '…We bequeath you, my son. You will carry us inside you, all the days of your life. You will make my strength your own, and see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father, and the father the son.' I then feel my wife's soft touch on my cheeks, wiping away the tears I never knew were there. I close my eyes, trying to fight these tears back as I finish. 'This is all I... all I can send you, Kal-El.'

I then close the ship and it begins to hover into launch position. With Lara in my arms she whispers to me, 'You know they'll come for him as soon as the computers pick up the launch signal.'

'…I know.'

And so it started.

I opened the ceiling hatch for departure and on cue, the doors began knocking. The authorities had arrived. I found it surprising that they could find the time considering they were at war! So while I got the ship ready, putting in the coordinates, Lara had taken out her battle armour and gun.

'You sure you can handle them?' I asked her to which she turns to me with that infuriating minx of a smile she had.

'If Rao has blessed me with one thing, sweetheart, it's how to bash people up.' Oh do I love her.

A grumble echoed through my halls, 'Jor-El, you are under arrest, forfeit the spacecraft or be prosecuted for violation of The Interstellar Restriction Act!' Once they breached our home, I rushed to make the calculations and once they engaged my wife in an intense gun and martial fight, I pressed the button and the space ship took off. At the same time we felt the rumbling in the ground, almost knocking us all off our feet. Krypton was dying and finally, like a veil was lifted off of the police, they saw and ceased their fighting.

'What's going on?!' cried one of the policemen.

Lara drops her gun and walks up to me. She puts her delicate hand in mine and we both stare at the ship above us. The first vehicle with space travel capabilities Krypton has ever seen in centuries. It would be the vessel of their final hopes. 'Make a better world than ours Kal.' I hear her whispers, a last request, and I can't help it. As our planet begins to implode, I hold her close to me. Huge collumns of fire spit out of the grounds around us, the earth opens up and swallows my people into the planet's raging core. I hear screams...so many screams.

I take Lara's lips in mine. This is our final moments here, and…sorry, I'm out of time…

* * *

**Author's Note: There were so many things I did not like about Man of Steel, not that I hated the entire film, I loved it, but I had a few problems with the writing and some of the concepts. I understood the whole thing about making Superman more darker and realistic but I saw a lot of Superman fans that didn't have a fun time watching it. Superman was supposed to be about hope, about a brighter future. And the whole saving humanity or being a better form of being had always come from the Kents first and foremost, I didn't get that with Jon Kent's speech about letting people die for his secrets. And the whole Jor-El being able to kick ass, I found a little bit too unrealistic. Still, I hope Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice does a better job at conveying the meaning of Superman. **


	2. Artificial Intel

**Chapter One**

**ARTIFICIAL INTEL**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**METROPOLIS, Industrial District**_

_**21:00pm**_

The city never sleeps, like any great city does, it livens up the most when the moon shines bright above them. The stores and markets were bustling with life, people cheering and gossiping in the streets, all the signs of a healthy city life.

In the Industrial District however, the opposite is true. Quiet streets left the roads deserted, the many factories, dormant for the night, allowing the machines to rest and be ready for tomorrow.

There is an old industrial factory taking up over 98.3 acres of industrial land bought out by LexCorp, one of the biggest corporations in the world, ranking at third just above Wayne Enterprise. LexCorp was responsible for more than half of the city's infrastructure and power supply as well as scientific advancements.

They mostly dealt with weaponry and artillery now. As growing tensions escalated with foreign relations, the US Defence Force demanded them. A competition now, pitting LexCorp against Wayne for the governmental contract.

This old abandoned factory or was it a laboratory, was one of LexCorp's ground zero for biological research. It was falling apart. Ready for eventual demolition once LexCorp gave the all clear. That was more than eight years ago, and the vicinity was still standing, a menace to the streets surrounding the district. However, there were reports of movement within, and at one time, the lights were on, giving out purple flashes followed by strange noises that soon caused houses from a ten kilometre radius to blow their transformers—overloaded with power. People swore the laboratory was haunted.

That night however, it was as quiet as a tomb, maybe more so. Clark broke the handle of one of the emergency exits. Funny how despite all of this technology, automatic doors, sensory surveillance, nothing beats a door handle in times of strife.

Clark walked down the corridors. A tall, built young man with jet black hair, chiselled face and eyes an abnormal shade of blue. Right now, the young man had on a pair of navy blue army pants tucked at the hem into black army boots. His blue T-shirt, hidden behind a maroon leather jacket with a diamond shield over his chest that housed a single letter S. The shield was emblazed upon it, discrete but not without meaning.

That night had been like any other night. Quiet, ever since he began his nights watch nearly two years ago, things had become quite silent.

'Alright, I'm in, Watchtower, but it looks like those reports seem to be exaggerated,' Clark said into an earpiece in his left ear. 'It's quiet.'

Soon a woman's voice responded, '_Alright, Nightwing, look around first then return to Watchtower_.'

Clark sighed but complied and continued down the empty walkways, along the red piping that led to a door. It was one of glass, a sliding door. Judging by the lack of door knob and the metal plate beside it, the doors opened electronically by use of fingerprints.

There were letters on the glass indicating its designation—it was covered by dust and webs. Curious, Clark wiped the covers away to reveal the words Project CADMUS.

With ease, the young man punctured his fingers through the gap on the side and slid the doors open. What he found inside had opened up a whole lot of questions. 'Um, what did your dad say this place used to be?'

'_He said it was a lab/factory of some kind. Bio research and mass production. My guess is either medications or performance enhancements—'_

'Actually, I don't know what I'd categorise this,' Clark took a few more steps inside. There were rows after rows of humanoid foetuses floating in glass containers of a strange liquid. It was clear that they had all died—probably when the place closed down and no power to maintain life. 'I mean…what had actually happened eight years ago?'

'_What do you see, Nightwing?_' inquired Watchtower.

Clark then produced a set of sunglasses from his pocket, Oakley Penny sunglasses they were, like what Cyclops wore in the X-Men franchise. 'Okay, I'm switching to video feed. Stand-by.'

He heard a gasp from the other side as he looked around him, the camera taking in his every sight.

'_Woa, I…I have no fucking clue what this is, dude._'

He moved through the test tubes, slowly, carefully as if they'd wake up if he made sudden sounds. 'I think they were…cloning someone.'

There was a pause before, '_What makes you say that?_'

Clark had discovered someone's work desk in the corner, he saw the many files and folders, opened them and saw they were all categorising the test tube foetuses. 'I'm going through the DNA structure and information for each foetus. They're all replicated of a sample tissue. Replicating the process of Meiosis.'

'_I don't remember that in Luthor's CV._'

Clark shook his head at the files. Each documented photograph of the different test tubes had stamped across them a red cross or a 'DESIST' stamp. He did not have to pretend to know what that all meant. 'That's because it wasn't on his list.'

Immediately, Clark took out his iPhone and began tapping pictures, snapping up as much evidence as he possibly could. After all, his fight against organised crime didn't stop at the discovery. There was a long road to go after this. He opened the files and snapped more pictures. He stopped and was about to put his phone in his pockets but that was when he noticed a couple of CD roms on the side. _This must be the recorded data_, Clark inspected. It was also shortly after that that he detected something, a heavy breathing, coming from behind him. He was unsure why he hadn't picked it up a lot sooner. His enhanced hearing should have…

Out of nowhere, a powerful figure appeared and charged at him. Acting swiftly Clark took the CDs and put them away in his pockets just in time for the figure to effectively tackle him off of his feet, smashing through all twenty concrete walls and a single metallic outer wall.

Clark flew over the yard and crashed into the metal piping below, instantly denting them like tin. He got himself up with a groan, rubbing his head from a splitting headache.

'_Nightwing?! Nightwing!_' He heard Leanna's voice ringing in his ear. '_Clark?!_' she cried.

Clark looked up at the hole he left behind. There was now a bright purple light…within that light shone that figure looking down at him. A menacing monster…no, it was humanoid, but he was…glowing, his bones, Clark could see them clearly, black as compared to the luminescent glow his entire body emitted.

Nightwing saw the figure's scull, despite this, he knew the figure was smiling, grinning at him mischievously. 'I'm fine, Lea.' I looked back at the monster. 'I think I know what's been making the disturbances.'

'_Whatever it is don't engage!_'

It would come to no shock that Clark did not listen. He examined his distance from the hole, took a few steps back and leapt, causing a small crater to form below him moment before lift-off. He felt his body leave the ground and landed quite unceremoniously through the hole and back into the factory.

He was greeted immediately by the glowing figure throwing one hell of a punch. Luckily however, Clark managed to catch that throw and send the impact right back at them. Though even luckier for the glow torch there, obstructions were no longer an issue and he flew through the holes perfectly until smashing against the metal on the other side. Then, like lightning, Clark ran to it and held the creature's neck, hoisting it a few inches above the ground.

The manic creature squirmed in Nightwing's grasp. 'Tell me what you are and why you're snooping around here!'

The creature continued to squirm, then started crying as it struggled to escape, crying like a child. After some consideration, Clark sighed, giving in to the creature's whining. His sympathy got the better of him and Clark released his hold. 'It's alright, my friend,' he said reassuringly. 'You don't need to be afraid of me.' No sooner did he say this that the creature's roar boomed throughout the factory. The blasts shoved him away before it jumped and then fisted the ground where he was able to puncture its way down.

Clark cursed himself as he got up and looked through the gap no on the floor. The glowing was getting smaller and smaller…until it finally vanished. The tall figure in blue and red groaned at his mess. Surely the foundations could not support the building any further. 'So much for sympathy.'

-=**O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

'What the hell was that?!' Leanna bereted the strapping young man before her. 'I told you not to engage, I was trying to compose readouts on his signatures and I couldn't do that with you so close to him and tampering with my equipment.'

'He was emitting various radiations in the electromagnetic spectrum. One was probably high frequency radio waves.' Clark explained, taking off his maroon jacket and belt before placing them on the mannequin and shelf respectably, causing a mechanism that pulled both into the wall. 'Whatever it was, it's humanoid. Capable of both producing and manipulating energy frequencies and atoms.'

Shocked but not at all impressed, Leanna stood from her workstation of computer monitors with her hands on her hips. She was a small girl, a few inches smaller than Clark, with emerald eyes and dark crimson hair cut into a pixie hairdo. 'Oh, and how exactly do you know that?'

Clark shrugged, 'I saw it. The guy was scared a bit, Lea. My theory's that he's a victim of some sort of experiment down at that Cadmus place.'

'Well did you manage to _see_ where this Atomic Skull has disappeared to?'

Clark opened his mouth to answer but was reminded that, no, he did not know…anything else. He followed the tunnel the man left behind but lost the trail when they no longer held radioactive readings. 'Well…no…but I can get started tomorrow after work.'

Leanna sighed but agreed all the same. 'You have to be more careful next time, Kent. I almost lost you there.'

He hung his head in shame but then looked back up at her and drew her closer to him as they began to walk out of the huge circular chamber. 'Just because I'm not answering the microphone, doesn't necessarily mean I'm dead, Lea.' He told her, planting a chaste kiss on her forehead.

'I know,' she reassures. 'Need a ride home, Clark or are you good?'

Clark shook his head, quickly checking his phone. He had missed only one call. 'Nah…I think I'll head out to town.'

Lea smirked at him. 'Heather?'

He chuckled at his best friend's typical educated guess. 'Yeah, I'm taking her out to dinner. I've already missed, like, two weeks now. I miss her awfully.'

'Well. Give Ms Kelley my best and wish her luck for future events, an apology in advance,' said Lea. 'As for me…I need a long and relaxing bath.'

Clark then gave her a cheeky grin. 'Good, you sure need it,' he said, feigning disgust at her odour.

'Always have to have the last word, don't you, man.'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

In the heart of Metropolis, there was a bright young woman, her hair as gold as the sun, and a smile twice as radiant. Her beauty kept her apart from the rest of the faces around her as she adored the children she passed. Clark could not help but stare in wonder. How did he get so…lucky?

Finally he approached her from behind, rose behind his back; he tapped her on the shoulder with his free hand. When she turned to see him bow courteously, she blushed and returned the gesture with a curtsy though she wore no dress but blue jeans. She was treated even more by her boyfriend's presenting her with a single rose, its beautiful red petals dazzling her.

'Shall we, ma'am?' he offered her his hand which she graciously accepted. The couple walked off and toward a restaurant not too far from the mall areas. A classy…and expensive establishment, but Clark was confident he could pull off a very lovely evening for the love of his life.

**-=O=-**

**Author's Note/Disclaimer: I own nothing in my works beside story. The characters expressed here are works attributed to DC Comics, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.**

**On another note, I am quite happy with the way this chapter turned out. I must confess I had not treated it with as much seriousness as I should, I mean I love Superman, he's my first superhero, but I felt discontent with how story tellers treat him at times. I hope you like my rendition so far. **

**When I thought of this idea I had in mind the red leather jacket that Tom Welling wore in Season 10 of Smallville. I felt it was a hell of a lot cooler and different than tights and the overused dark coloured tone of Superman's outfits, namely the one from Season 9. **


	3. Being Human

**Chapter Two**

**BEING HUMAN**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**METROPOLIS, LEXCORP BUILDING**_

_**21:35pm**_

'…I know the numbers don't seem very favourable, Merci, but I need you to look at the big picture here. We may seem vulnerable, maybe close to the edge of liquidation but trust me, we'll shoot back and Wayne Enterprise won't know what hit them.' A man burst into the study, clutching a phone against his ear while the other hand held a briefcase.

There was an armed body guard awaiting him by his desk. Luthor walked to the guard, standing only a few inches taller than him, much more tougher looking too. But unlike Lex, the man had an impressive supply of golden locks on his head. 'Sir, I have your security team stationed on ground and over third floor.'

'Good,' Lex then places his briefcase atop his desk and opens it up. Inside he takes out a folder complied for him at work. 'Has my daughter come back yet, Allen?'

'I'm afraid not, Mr Luthor.'

Lex groans but waves it off and opens to the first pages of the file. Immediately he was intrigued. He is left open mouthed as he stares at the picture attached to the file. 'This is very fascinating, Mr Jones.'

'Truly, sir.' The guard was as boring as a brick. But he had a very good hand and a deadly eye as well.

Lex examined the photo: a man stripped bare, lying on a cold metal slab, a pained expression on his face…well, what was left of his face. You see some parts of his flesh had been eaten away by radiation. An experimental compound not meant for contact to living flesh...not yet.

It happened some time ago, dear say he could not remember how it happened, all he knew was that it had the potential to ruin him.

'His name was Albert Michaels, Mr Jones. In charge of R&amp;D, if I'm not mistaken. Tsst.' He remembered only partial actually. Freak accident, wrong place at the wrong time, just the standard debacles.

The phone rings and Lex answers at the second ring, always.

'…Tell them to move the meeting for tomorrow to Thursday morning, give them enough time to recruit help and gives us more time to counter them…' Lex barked, almost less animatedly as the guard. His face became stern again.

At the same time, the door swings open, temporarily distracting him was a young woman with short red hair. He looks at the landscaping window behind him, the dark serenity of night, then back at the girl.

'…Okay, Ms Tresser, that will be all, go home and good night.' He plops the phone down and positions himself into a reclining position on the chair. His eyes examine the teenager, stomping to her room, eyes not leaving the communications device in her hands. 'Where have you been, Leanna?'

The young woman pauses, eyes finally leaving the screen, now in thought. She then turns to face the imposing man with a mischievous grin. 'Oh, I was out, you know, hanging around boys at clubs, having fun. Isn't that what billionaire girls are supposed to do?'

'Do you enjoy tormenting me, Leanna?'

Her smile disappears systematically, like cold water splashed upon her face. 'The feeling's mutual, dad.' Then without another word she vanishes into the sanctuary of her room upstairs, ignoring her father's command for her attention and obedience.

Lex sighs, defeated as he retakes the files and attempts to drown that sour experience in work. Business seemed to have a sort of numbing sensation he craved, like drugs...only with a useful purpose.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

In the dark and tight tunnel under the Metropolitan subway lines, the only light comes from a figure stumbling through the void. His whole body, glowing violet, somehow showcasing the skeletal system inside him like an X-ray…

And it hurt…it hurt so much. The pain was almost overbearing, almost. He had had near to nine years of getting used to the agony that he seemed to continue to feel.

He could see it, all of the little atoms, the streams of light and energy that seemed to connect everybody. Not just see, he could hear them talk, he could hear his name in their ramblings, hear his and hers.

_Albert_. They whisper. _Albert, she waits for you_. He can't take it, the whisperings. Before, he could only hear them when he comes close to a heavily concentrated and eradiated area. A pool of electromagnetic activity, but now, they're everywhere! _You failed her, Albert… You were warned when you played the game, perhaps unfairly, but you were warned all the same. And now…she pays for it. You failed her_. Michaels falls to the ground, clutching his head. _You failed her!_ The voices were getting louder, they were practically shouting at him, judging him with harsh daggers. _YOU FAILED HER!_

'No, no, no!' Something inside him broke at that moment. 'No, no, no, no, no, no…' he then started hammering his head against the rocky walls. He needed to end it. He needed to end it all; the whispering, the judging.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

As Clark watched the film playing in the movie theatre, they held hands, Heather resting her head on his broad shoulders. He looks down at her, watching the events on screen with a giddy smile on her beautiful face. Clark readjusts his glasses, a lopsided grin flashes and then he continues to enjoy the film.

They could not help laugh at the movie as everyone else in the cinemas did. It was The Avengers film, and quite fun if he was honest. More than three movies had lead up to this event and Clark had gotten them the last tickets at the last minute. Considering he was busy trying to stop a would-be suicide bomber from making a very life shattering mistake, he was lucky…to get his hands on the tickets, that is.

As for the terrorist? There was so much of his religion that he knew nothing about, and Clark was in no position to disprove his beliefs but what he did know was that he's had many friends that followed this creed…and they were great people. They taught him quite a lot about morals and will.

Thus he let the man go, returned to his family with a number for therapy for…PTSD. A former marine is entitles to some troubles left behind by war.

Clark chuckled. Despite all of his strength and abilities, his most valued, most vital ability is his words. Why because it's hard, because it's powerful.

'So,' Heather leaned up, closer to his ear, 'you want to stay for the post-credit scenes or should we go to my place, Kent?' he chuckled and moved in to kiss her briefly on the cheek. She made a mock pouty face, her brows furrowing, 'Oh, only the cheek? I'll take that as undecided.'

Again, Clark chuckles and attempts to amend his choice and kiss her on the lips, only to have her cheekily turn her head, allowing his lips to graze her cheek instead. 'Fine, we'll go to your place…but after this.'

Quite glad, she nodded and then returned his previous gesture and planted her lips on his own cheeks.

That night had gone on as smoothly as he could expect. He was quite glad about it all. Not to be worried too much about missions or identities. That night he was just Clark Kent, a bumbling nerd that worked as an intern at The Daily Planet as a reporter. That night he was on a date with the most beautiful woman on Earth.

After the film he and Heather walked to her apartment.

Clark opened his eyes and was met with the sun's warm embrace, the first sight to his eyes, but not just that, he could feel his body soak up the natural energy. He looks to his side and sees the other side of the bed was empty, save a hand written note.

"Got an interview with SecDef. See u back at ur place." It read.

With a sigh Clark gets onto his feet and looks around him. Her apartment seemed much more bigger than his. Then he thought back to his own apartment. It was shabby and cramped compared to this. Heather had expressed thoughts on moving in with him, he told her he was intrigued but in truth he was terrified. To seem so pathetic in her eyes all she needed to do was see where he lived.

And she deserved so much more.

After another fifteen minutes he locked up and departed from her apartment, he had his messenger bag with him and headed for The Daily Planet News building at Central Metropolis. He was taking the route through the Financial District and decided on a coffee before work as well as a quick trip to the bank.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

The Daily Planet was the central hub for news on current affairs and foreign stories, not just newspapers anymore but websites and news channels, The Planet prided itself in its values and integrity when it comes to obtaining and relaying news, as well as for their clarity. Always being the first at a scene worthy of news, always fact checking at least twenty times at mark speed, then double checked again before they went to print, and never did they try to twist truths. Or at least that's what it said under the logos.

Clark felt that most journalists were expected by their publishers to bend at every whim as accordance to the values and beliefs of the majority. Much like the Daily Star had sought to do, but sometimes when confronted head on, people turn away from the truth. Truth needed to be presented, smoothly, made sure it was edible by the public, not harsh, yet, not lenient either.

He found most of this is the Daily Planet…unfortunately they were a hard institute to get entrance to.

His internship was actually a fluke happenstance that he so happened to be dating one of their anchors. Even more lucky when the Daily Star sunk, while they were dating of course, but Heather saw a good spark in her boyfriend. She wanted him to better not just himself…but the world.

And it all starts with the truth.

Clark laughed, that was probably why he was standing at a coffee machine with a pile of files and folders intended for his mentor.

It was insulting, he thought. She was no older than him—his mentor, someone to show him the ropes. Still, she was better than most of his other mentors. She was a Pulitzer winning reporter apparently, for some articles she wrote about the US Defence Force.

The small café latte in one hand and a pile of files and folders balancing on the palm of the other, Clark made his way to his mentor with haste.

She was at her desk, her phone in hand she was engaged in a heated argument it seemed. Stumbling up to her he placed the coffee by her computer and the collection of papers on the other side. 'Here are the intel and reports on the alleged corruption of Marty Hornigold, Ms Lane,' Clark told her while she remained in frustration. 'I've categorised them in first and second hand sources and interview scripts.' Clark pointed at the pile which she then flipped through. He felt quite pleased with himself. That case had been eating away at him and he was compelled to get to the bottom of this.

Mr Martin Hornigold was a small time business partner of Fate's Law Firm. He had been accused of corruption last year after successfully bribing witnesses, the jury and Judge Chrome, all who then voted the release of serial killer Josh Braden. Braden was son of Multi-millionaire Aaron Braden and as such inherited everything at his father's death. But he didn't stop there. Both Hornigold and Josh Braden were under investigation by District Attorneys.

It seemed strange though, for Clark. They sent three District Attorneys and Law Enforcement agents with strong feelings against them…came out with intentions of testifying against District Attorney Adam Haytham instead, one of the few better enforcers of the law—an idealist.

Lois flicked through the files one last time before slamming the files down. 'You must not have gotten the memo, kid.' Clark moved to rebuke her claims that he was younger than her but was interrupted. 'Hornigold represents the Braden family, kid. Half this city's income comes from their oil company. They are the most powerful family in Metropolis. In short…back off.'

Clark could not believe what he was hearing. 'But…the evidence is—'

'Purely unsubstantial,' she shot back. 'Listen…where do you come from?'

Clark tilted his head questioningly at her. 'Uh, I'm from Smallville, Ms Lane.'

'Listen, Smallville, where you come from, might be this perfect utopia of good morals and do-gooders, saving the day and shaking hands with the bad guys after they willingly turn themselves in…but this is Metropolis…And this is journalism. You'll be expected to bend over more often than none.' And with that she dismissed him and continued her verbal joust with the person on the other line.

Not that it was something like a revelation to Clark, about the harshness of the world…But perhaps he was naïve in thinking it was any different there at the Daily Planet. It was a far more different atmosphere than the Daily Star. Maybe that was why it died.

Walking through the tenth floor, Clark got a glimpse of Heather next to one of her co-anchors at the breakfast table; a brutish man a little taller than him. Handsome face and well-built too—which was why he thought it alright to begin hitting on his girlfriend. Infuriated, Clark made his way to the two.

'Come on, Heather, don't be a tease,' the anchor said, Clark thought his name was Steve Lombard. 'Let me take you out to a nice restaurant for the evening.'

'I said knock it off, Lombard.' Heather quelled.

'Oh, come on, Kelley, just one night at a restaurant, then maybe my pla—'

Lombard was shoved to the side by a pair of strong and firm hands. 'You heard her, sir. She said to knock it off.' There was an uncharacteristic tone in Clark's voice that surprised even him. Lombard chuckled to the other crew members behind him and came to stand before Clark, challengingly, standing above him.

'Big blue boy scout aren't we.' Lombard took a few more steps towards him. He took a cup of coffee from a desk and took a short sip, and with that, Lombard tipped the coffee over Clark's head. The whole room erupted in laughter.

Clark made to retaliate, he really wanted to. Beyond the coffee stained hair and glasses blocking his view, he wanted to strike the man. His fists were clenched, balled so tight they were going red, even for him, and his stance…Clark could feel the ground on which he stood, sinking an inch at his weight. But the look on Heather's face, pleading that he let it go. It triggered something in his heart, his memories.

'It is easy to put all of your strength in a single burst of power, strike your foes, and show them you are in control…' Clark nodded at the man, his black complexion complimented his light garbs. The mosque was quite empty that day, which gave Clark the perfect opportunity…to talk. 'It is the inner strength of the mind and a steady heart that becomes harder, yet it is what is required for true control.'

Clark sighs, sitting on the cushion before a religious leader, in a very strange place for someone like him, someone from the more American parts of America. 'I…need to obtain it…control.'

The man smiled at him, warmly. he watches as even Clark begins to swipe a bit of sweat from his brow, the African heat was getting to him, he was surprised that the man was not at all bothered by it. 'Control of yourself?' he asked.

Clark sighs, 'Of my nature.'

'Nature can never be supressed and have a positive outcome.' He then stood up and gestured for Clark to do the same. 'It can however be channelled. You cannot control your nature…but you can channel it into a purpose.'

'But my powers I…'

'Yes,' again the man smiled, 'I know of your abilities. You are not human.'

Clark looked at him with fear. It was a terror that he was all too familiar with. 'Will you turn me in?'

'Why? You have done nothing wrong.' Clark was taken aback. 'I saw you a few days ago, you saved the people north of here from the militia without spilling a single drop of blood…in lesser time.' The man came up to him and placed a hand on Clark's bearded face. 'You saved my daughter's life that day.'

'But now I need your help, teach me how not to use my abilities. How not to destroy everything I touch.'

Of everything else in the world, it was this stranger's smiles that warmed him, that gave him more reassurance than anything. The man nodded, 'Then it begins with your heart, as everything does.'

**-=O=-**

Clark was drawn back from his past, to the great prick in his present. 'Oh, wait…there it is…'

Again, Clark consider this, him striking him so hard he'd soon reach orbit…but then again, that would be a waste. He took a deep breath in, steadying his heart rate, dancing to a trot. Clark looks up at him and smiles, and then he turns, and walks off. It appeared that that got Heather's attention and she ran off after him. 'Clark! Clark!'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

'Clark, report in,' came Leanna's voice in his ear. 'An armed gang have infiltrated a high security prison and seek to free some of the world's most dangerous criminals.' Clark was already on the move when she finished, 'Stop them.'

Out of the Daily Planet through a back ally, Clark quickly produced his leather jacket from a hiding place beneath the large bin. After he put it on…he vanished in a blur.

**-=O=-**

**Author's Note: Well I hope you enjoyed reading this so far. There is still a lot of things I need to get sorted out so don't be too disappointed if I'm not updating more frequently. I have another series of fics I wanted to finish. I've already started some so if you wanna check them out that'll be great. **

**For this fic I wanted to give a sort of Birthright feel to it a bit. Have him travel the world searching for identity. I loved how MoS dealt with past events but I didn't like how Jon Kent died or how they made the Kents seem quite weak. I love the Kents a little more than the Els. I hope they rectify that soon. **


	4. First Day Job

**Chapter Three**

**FIRST DAY JOB**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**METROPOLIS, FINANCIAL DISTRICT**_

_**1:00pm**_

The day started off like normal, a Luthor morning, which for Leanna was basically…wondering the mall aimlessly, waiting to hear of trouble for her to report back to Watchtower and summon Clark. As she passes the fountain which stood as a centrepiece for the mall's large square, Leanna saw a glimpse of herself in the bottom of the ropes of water falling. She saw a gloomy, slim girl with no life; grey over coat hiding a black shirt and jeans. Her straight, dark red hair cut short yet able to hide half her face.

There were newspapers all over the place, speaking of mysterious figures in the night outside the Police Station, leaving behind handful of criminals ranging from organised gangsters and thugs. Leanna felt somewhat proud of their progress. Clark even left a note telling authorities when one of the criminals were addicts or had problems in which they'd need medical help.

She heard them…the people in the square, talking about her when they thought she couldn't hear, and she probably couldn't if it weren't for the hearing enhancer hidden in her ear, feeding her with so much junk it hurt.

'…Isn't that that Luthor girl?' said one of the women by the other side of the fountain to another in hushed tones.

'I hate her,' said the other.

'You hate her daddy, Mary.'

The first woman shrugged. 'They're all the same, you'll see. Mr Luthor would definitely train her in the dark arts and before you know it, you're evicted from your home in favour of a casino or something.'

'Mary, just drop it. They provided with compensation didn't they?'

Mary shook her head. 'They gave us free access to the new Tropical Casino for a year. Jules, they exploited Fred's addiction and now we're in debt! She'll be exactly the same.'

Lea couldn't take it anymore and walked off.

Despite being a multimillionaire, Leanna never was the type that…what was the expression? Shopped 'till she dropped? Anyway, she was a more practical woman. Even during her early childhood and high school years she was more a recluse, mostly it was because of her last name. Luthor was the notorious name for power akin to tyranny. It wasn't until she went to Harvard University that she met Clark Kent and finally she had a friend.

Apparently Clark had spent a year or two abroad prior to term—learning to control. After she found out about his powers, they formed a team of sorts.

She walked through the street of Metropolis in silence; she found it a best time to defrag her mind. In her mental solitude she passed several people, children missing their parents, elderly crossing the road, and the disabled, stuck on the inside of the roads. Leanna just looked at them, conflicted…but neither scenario managed to capture her attention…not for long.

There was a tower in Metropolis a few kilometres within High Town, bought by Luthor's classified accounts for off the books projects his dad casually frequents. The thing is Leanna knew everything there was about that account. Password, proxy name and where the funds were coming from. She figured if her dad wasn't using money raised for charity properly, then she'd use some of it for a certain kind of good.

The building was abandoned, and wasn't opening any interest from anywhere, thus she bought it and now, entering to the very top floor, the doors opened, and the computers, sensing her presence, had begun start-up.

_Access Number 002, Granted…Welcome back Guardian_, came the monotone voice of the Tower's AI.

Leanna approached her workstation. More than a dozen monitors opened to different tabs, one of which was flashing. Leanna turned to her right where the screen reported a situation her contact had picked up.

'Something's going on at Belle Reve Federal Penitentiary,' said the disguised voice. 'My guess is it's going to be a massive break out. We need your guy to help out. This is one job the cops can't help.'

'I need intel, Watchman.'

'A gang originally from Gotham has infiltrated Belle Reve. Motive are unknown as of yet.'

A slight grin appeared on Leanna's face. 'I'm on it.' She put her headset on and immediately called for Clark. 'Clark, report in.' She loved this job. Despite being a Luthor, where she should be spending her times in bars, her mornings nursing hangovers, she finally felt she was doing something about the state the world was in. She had even thought about expanding. 'An armed gang have infiltrated a high security prison and seek to free some of the world's most dangerous criminals. Stop them.'

The whooshing sound from the other end told her he was on the move. She smiles… 'Game on.'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

If ever a building could be master of deception, it was Belle Reve Penitentiary in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. From the outside it looked like a utopia, clean walls, high technological security systems, friendly staff and guards, it looked as though people could feel very secure, both in and out.

For those admitted however, was a different story…a darker story.

Somehow, anything with Federal in its name meant trouble. Belle Reve did not only house common criminals, they housed criminals the pubic had yet to know existed. Each inmate had abilities that were quite contrary to their appearances.

People have heard of Area 51. An urban legend to most, this was similar, yet the fact it existed in plain sight was what set it apart. What made Belle Reve flourish in a quite urban population growing around it was the fact that despite it being a house for the criminally deranged, it was peaceful. No annoying noise of inmates screaming, yelling or brawling for release, was what drew a lot of people around it. Low costing homes, school admissions, police force and shopping malls meant it was quite complete for families.

Now however, that peace was being threatened. Four armed assailants had actually infiltrated the sanatorium, quite easily in fact. Head count came with a highly trained marksman, manning a heavy sniper with such ease that he could even do close up combat with it and win. Though half his face was covered by a metal plate on the right side of his face, finished by a red glowing eye piece, the gurads could make out a wide grin as he gunned down their friends and colleagues.

There was another, a man with a scarf and boomerangs sharpened to the point they decapitated seventeen guards in one go. There was a man in bright orange and yellow Chinese traditional garments. He moved like a ninja, no weapons but his knowledge of extreme martial arts was unseen before.

Then there was the only female of the gang. A woman dressed in what seemed like punk rock sort of clothing, coloured red and black, negatives of each other—red and black jeans, corset and spikes on her boots and a collar around her neck. She seemed not to have any speciality except her enthusiasm for death and her collection of knives and guns.

At that moment they were taking heavy fire from an army of guards. After a few more moments, they began to chuck in their smoke grenades, the area was covered. 'Hurry up, kangaroo boy, get them out!'

'Oi, do I make stupid stereotypical shots at you, Deadshot?' the boomerang thrower retorted, trying to hack his way through the sanatorium's mainframe. He was getting close. Behind him, the shooter covered him while the ninja took out snipers from above the courtyard's seven levels and the only woman in their team joined Deadshot, firing with near precision. She killed half a dozen men at a time, all with a smile on her face.

She had scars on her face, giving the illusion of a smile wider than a mouth should allow. 'Ooh, new High Score, I beat you, Bullets!'

'Shut it, Harley!' the Australian yelled back. 'Almost there.'

'Take your effing time, dude!' Deadshot retorted with as much sarcasm as his situation allowed, which was still quite a lot.

The Australian rolled his eyes. 'Arsehole,' he muttered.

Though the grounds seemed littered in bodies of guards, there seemed to be no end in them, even from above, the ninja guy threw men off the ledges, even women, letting it rain over. It was a massacre.

With a few more minutes on the clock, they continued…that was until a crash from above startled them all, and from the skies fell a man, landing on his feet. A man in red leather jacket that bore a strange symbol on his chest, a pair of shades over his eyes, a Metropolis Monarchs Baseball cap and a sort of scarf covering his mouth and nose area, stood before them, in a crater he left behind on entry.

They all ceased their firing. Or at least for a while, until Harley, after a few moments of admiring the man's physique, fired the first shot at the mystery man. Her action triggered more than her gun as the entire room now erupted in gunfire, all directed at him. To which they saw their shots simply bounced off him, leaving barely a single scratch.

The man looked around and then walked over to Deadshot as if he wasn't being shot at with rounds. 'Alright, Watchtower, I see 'em.' With that his eyes, focussed on the weapons in their hands, his eyes turned red.

Both Deadshot's sniper and Harley's duel pistols heated up, causing them to flinch and drop them. After that, the ninja leaped from the fourth floor, expecting to catch the mysterious man off guard. You could imagine the surprise he got when he made contact. It was like he had missed the man completely and landed face first on the concrete floor.

The man continued to walk by, leaving the ninja clutching his bleeding nose.

'What the hell are you?!' cried Deadshot.

The man stopped a few inches away from him. 'I'm here to stop you, sir.'

Deadshot gave him a lopsided grin. He had a circular red eyepiece on his right eye which helped his aim immensely. He opened it to reveal the eye for a better examination of the man. 'I think you're fighting on the wrong side, boy.'

The man held his ground. Then the Australian appeared from behind the woman. 'It's done, mate…'

The sound of clanking echoed for minutes as door after door opened, and monster from every form came pouring out. The inmates, so happy to be free of their confinement flooded from every corridor, one of them a giant of grey complexion with what seemed like different variations of knives and swords stuck on his back and a noose around his neck came charging in from behind Deadshot.

Clark braced himself as the monster threw a punch which hurled him across the prison. He was able to anchor himself on the ground, leaving again, a trail in front of him. He then charged at the beast, seeing the monster's next attack, Clark ducked and then spun around. The momentum he created was able to embed his punch with a force that threw the freed monster even further in.

From among the crowd of criminals, Clark saw the gang rally together. Deadshot with his smile fixed on wicked as he told him, 'This is who _we_ fight for, kid. Think about that for a while…then come find me.'

That was the last Clark saw of him as they all vanished amidst the chaos. Clark sighed. He looked around him, he watches scuttling around for the exit, for freedom. To an ordinary person, would probably react with exaggerated fear and terror and confusion. To Clark, it was only confusion. He had never seen the likes. So many…freaks around him, everyone so different, whether it was outer appearance or not. Some had even been given an uncomfortable looking collar device around their neck that beeped.

As Clark watched them scurrying along, seemingly unaware of his presence, Clark just stood mortified on the spot. What was he to do now? But as the smoke cleared he knew he had but one thing to do.

He kicked off the wall behind him and using it as a boost he started a momentum. Locking on the many faces and with a long huff, he put super speed to work.

In no time, Clark had successfully rounded up the many criminals back into their cells. But before leaving the prison…he took another look at the men and women he captured. Their saddened faces were a lot to go on. In some way it tore him, inside. What was he doing? He truly knew little about Belle Reve.

There was even a small child, a girl no older than ten years old, looking up at him with…disgust. She seemed strange, abnormally bright orange skin that cashed with the prison jumpsuit, blank green eyes and long crimson hair. She was muttering something. What she said had left Clark utterly speechless.

Her disgusted face had warped into one of sadness, of disappointment. She continued to mutter the same things this time in a more sincere, rage-less tone. It took every fibre in his body to ignore her. After all, this was a sanatorium, she must have been in here for a reason that he did not know about.

But until he did, the inmates there had to stay where they were, sadly enough.

One of the officers left approached him with praise. 'Thanks, sir. Thanks for the help. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.' Clark examined him. The guard seemed timid, nervous. His young face and clean shaven look told Clark he was perhaps a new employee. Clark nodded and in a flash he was gone, leaving the timid guard in even more bafflement.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

Clark spent hours on his desk at the Tower, poring through file after file, website after website and testimony after goddamn testimony, all on the subject of Belle Reve Federal Penitentiary. The mysterious ward secrets, and now he knew some of them.

For years he'd thought he was the only one…different, an abnormality…a freak. He'd spent years thinking that, thinking that he was cursed, forever to live alone, with the fear of being hated, of being feared. Strangely, he feared ending up like the inmates of Belle Reve.

Clark groaned as he closed another file. The Watchtower was quiet, though Lea had not gone home yet. This caused Clark to look her way—seated at her workstation she scrolled through the data she'd picked up on Belle Reve's happenings.

He was reminded of what the little orange girl. '_You were supposed to be one of us,_' she said. _'You were supposed to be one of us…'_

What did she mean? Did she know his secret? That he was a freak?

Clark was suddenly thrown back in time—Smallville, more than twenty five years ago. A field of grown crops of corn, once green and full of life, now left in a forest of flames crackling around him. he was on the dirt ground by his bike, completely abandoned, his eyes covering his face, most importantly his eyes.

He had done this? Burnt his father's hard work? And he could not stop, he could feel it…that fire, the energy in his eyes, wanting nothing more than release.

Clark remembered, he was so scared, that was until he felt great and muscular arms hugging him. All of a sudden, Clark of five years-old relaxed, but his eyes, still going had transformed into tears. 'I'm a monster!' he cried.

'Hay,' Clark was taken out of his reverie by familiar hands and a warm smile. He returns that smile to her. 'You okay, Clark?'

'I'm fine Lea,' he responded as earnestly as possible. 'I've just been…thinking. Did you get any information on those guys that tried to free inmates out of Belle Reve?'

Leanna presented to him a compiled file of about six pages. 'Not much,' she confessed. 'The gunman is Floyd Lawton. An assassin for hire, famous in Gotham City as being one of the best shots there is. Hence why they call him—'

'Deadshot.' Clark finished for her, transfixed by the photos of the assailants. 'And the others?'

Leanna blushed, she was used to it or she liked to think that. But what else could she do? She couldn't possible tell her best friend she though he was hot. She staggered again to recompile her train of thought. _Gosh…I had an entire presentation planned out!_ 'Umm, I…right…The ninja here is Ben Turner,' she then ran to her workstation and with a single press of a button…the entire room exploded into a brilliant array of light that resembled the computer monitors. Each wall showed a full mug shot including body shot of the assailants. 'Now, you might know Turner from all those karate demos. He's a martial artist, got a dojo in Central City…well…he had a dojo. Get this—last year Turner was convicted for the murder of his students. I cross-referenced the murder and it resembles a lot the Braden case as well. And representing the State against Turner was…'

Clark sighed, 'George Greene from Fate's Law Firm.'

'Exactly,' she then moved a pointer to her desk and the screens changed into a web. 'I began compiling this—'

'Wait,' Clark interrupted her, 'compiled? I just told you about what happened at Belle Reve not three hours ago. How'd you uncover and compile all this?'

Again, Leanna's cheeks turned scarlet and in a modest fashion, she shrugged his appraisal but not without thanking him for it and telling him that she had her ways with computers—a fact Clark already knew. 'The last guy…or gall, is…I had difficulty with face recognition but I think I got a match to Dr Harleen Quinzel, a renowned specialist in the field of behavioural psychologist at Arkham Asylum. That's in Gotham City. She was convicted of corruption of a different form, said that she was a serial killer, responsible for thirteen deaths, an allegation that thanks to Fate's Law, had her thrown in her own asylum.'

'She seemed creepy when I saw her.'

'That's because she underwent shock therapy that ultimately restarted some of her and being housed in a mental institute like the one in Gotham City changed her. She became…infatuated by one inmate in particular, became sort of a copycat.'

'But she didn't kill anyone?'

'Not anymore.' Leanna looked at the picture of the crazed woman. 'She was recruited by this gang. They'd been about here and there, breaking into military installations and freeing prisoners that ultimately began the oil wars anew in the Middle-East.'

Clark nodded his understanding. Their hearts were in the right place that much was sure. No telling what these people had been through. 'Alright, I'll take the file home and study it, try to connect them. I'll have to go arrange a meeting with Hornigold next week.'

Leanna raised a brow questioningly, 'Next week, why?'

'I'm only an intern, Lea,' he said, humbling himself by lowering his gaze. 'Next week, Perry's giving me a position, hopefully...I heard I have to do a trial article. Then I'll be able to snoop around, start asking questions.' It was Clark's gorgeous smile that usually made Leanna's day and usually before he leaves he'd peck her on the forehead—a completely platonic gesture of course, but still.

'I'll see you tomorrow then.' She says, he smiles and then she's alone again, but she did not mind. It was the getting home and dealing with her dad that she had problems with. This was why she often stayed at the Tower for hours after midnight and when she gets home, her father would beret her, thinking she'd been out all night at clubs, getting drunk and sleeping with hunks. Though she did normally do that anyway, it was not a common occurrence.

Clark on the other hand, could not wait to get home. He was tired and had a lot to think about. There was something going on at Belle Reve. There were so many different people that did not look like a threat to the public, locked away in that prison, and they looked less than happy...less than healthy even.

Clark sighed, kicking off his boots and making his way to the bedroom. He sighed though when he reached his room. There was a man snoring there, he looked inside to see some red hair. Jimmy must have gotten kicked out of his girlfriend's place and found it necessary to bunk at his place. He hadn't learned that that was Clark's room, and the guest room was…well he didn't quite have one… 'I guess it's the couch then,' Clark groaned.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

A man in a trench coat trudged through the thickets, he tries to avoid any contact with the city, and thus he stays in Central Park. What was he going to do?

He tries, hard, to hide his body, its luminescent glow, may seem beautiful but…

He is startled by the muffled screams of a woman whose mouth is covered with force. Albert peers out to his side and is in shock to see a woman being held, quite forcefully against a rock by a tall man. Her struggles and his crazed face told him that she was definitely being held against her will.

It looked so much like how she looked when they took her away from him…he snaps. Runs at the man, grabs his arm and tries to shove him off. It did not give the outcome he was expecting and it happened. 'Hay, leave that woman a—'

He was cut off by a loud screaming that echoed beyond the trees. The man, the would-be-rapist was screaming his lungs out as…Albert's hand, touching the exposed arm... a hot sizzling noise…quickly Albert threw his hand away and to his own horror, the rapist's hand began to dry up, not just dry up but shrivel, turned to dust as it fell off.

The man clutched his arm, but the effects did not end there as he felt whatever this was, travel up and around his body. He fell to the ground as his entire being was reduced to ash and with a shriek…vanished, into a pile of dust on the grass.

The woman did not fare better as she yelled and screamed for help. Albert tried to calm her down but by the contact of his hand on shoulder, now bare, she too succumbed. Albert backed away, forced to watch in horror, like a nightmare replaying in his mind, the woman's screams, so deafening as the first parts of her to break were her own legs. On the floor she howled in pain…so much pain. Albert did not know what to do. He was helpless. Like he was back then…

Then finally…the screams died down…it was silence. Albert was mortified, rooted to the spot by sheer terror. What had he done? What had happened to him?!

In his terror, his moment of anguish at what he did and what he was becoming—he roared into the night, bats and birds all flew in their own fear. What had become of Albert Michaels? As he roared, Albert grew, his anger and fear manifesting, turning into something else, an emotion so base it had to be divine. Rage!

**-=O=-**

**Author's Note: I hope this chapter has not disappointed some of you, it isn't my best because I was in a hurry but felt like I needed to update it anyway. Please check out my other works as well, it does not end here. **

**This iteration of Superman has been bugging me for ages. I think it started with a conversation on why a Superman game would never be awesome, even if it was made by Rocksteady, already responsible for the Batman Arkham games. Anyway, my argument was that gameplay would depend on the story. The problem with a Superman game is that he will become too powerful, and in being so, gets a bit boring. So I made the argument that if you do a Superman game more focussed on his origins, before flight and all his extra powers because that's usually where the issues lie, then you could get an awesome game.**

**This story was what I got from that argument. This chapter however was just an experiment on introducing characters familiar in the DC Universe. Please review and inform me on your opinions on them. Gracie.**


	5. Transparent

**Chapter Four**

**TRANSPARENT**

_**LOCATION: **_

_**METROPOLIS, THE DAILY PLANET BUILDING**_

_**8:00pm**_

Perry White, Editor-in-Chief at the Daily Planet, renowned journalist and legend in that field. He was known throughout the world for his very unique and bold methods of journalism. He shocked the world during his intern days with a piece about the controversial sexual assaults within the US military and also a deeper look inside the war in Iraq.

He spent a year in a Middle-eastern prison and in the end…he became a legend.

Clark had always aspired to be him. Willing to sacrifice his own life to expose the truth and present it to the world…sometimes no matter how tragic.

Now Perry White was in his late fifties, his belly had rounded, wrinkles now showed on his dark complexion, under the eyes, telling stories of age and experience, yet they did not deter the firmness and decisive nature of his presence. Standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by his battalion of young interns, he had his hands crossed in front of his chest, examining his students.

'The Daily Planet has a code…a creed. We are the light in a dark and confusing world, here to not only inform, but to inspire the general public.' As he spoke, his interns began to jot down every word, iPads out there was tapping, and then quiet again. For Clark, his mind was the notebook. Every word imprinted in memory. His eyes wide open, taking in everything his hero was saying. 'You will have to organise your methods. You have the freedom to obtain your sources…within reasonable legality of course,' he said with a rather knowing chortle. 'Compile your sources and keep a log of your progress including annotated description of your methods and processes. You will have three to four weeks to chase your lead but I strongly advise you do so with some pace. News must be fresh. However, in the end it is not just the finished article but the hard work behind it.'

An intern opposite Clark raised her hand fir Perry's attention. 'What if I get a story that isn't that great, will it deduce points?'

Perry then smiled brightly at the young woman, a sparkle in his eyes. 'A good reporter doesn't get great stories, Ms Ford. A good reporter makes them great.' With that he dismissed the circle but not without asking Clark for an audience in his office.

'You wanted to see me, Chief?' Clark spoke, peeking his head through a small line at the door.

Perry took off his reading glasses, and sat himself at his desk. 'Yes, Kent, come in.'

Clark walked in quite nervous in his strides. After some gesturing, Clark sated himself before him.

The Editor-in-Chief sighed, rubbing his aged forehead and finally, clapping his hands just below his chin. 'Kent, I've been told by your mentor that you have developed an interest in the Hornigold case.' Clark stuttered but then nodded. 'You know that case was closed two years ago—'

'On insufficient evidence against him,' Clark rebuked. 'They say that there was a plot to frame him but don't you find it odd that each one he accused of conspiracy were city officials, District Attorneys, representatives of Metropolis and not belonging to any separate firms?' Though Clark seemed to impress Perry, gave the old man high hopes. What Clark was doing in that instance showed the Editor-in-Chief the younger man's qualities, Perry showed little in expression and just continued to size him up with a cold, hard stare. 'Why would District Attorneys want to frame a low ranking business partner of corruption and why would Hornigold instead open a case of conspiracy instead of combating their claims of corruption?' And Clark had an answer, 'Because Hornigold wants to divert attention away from corruption…his own crimes. I have dozens of proof—'

Perry got up from his chair and faced the plain glass window behind him, staring out at the grand city he lived and worked in. 'Clark…you're a good person. A great young man, in fact you have the spoken potential to be a great reporter someday.' He then turned back to the glasses wearing intern. He was so young and naïve. It sort of reminded Perry of himself at that age. But hope often fades, or morphs into something completely different, sometimes at the expense of the hope of others. 'You're dwelling into dangerous territory, Kent. Very dangerous waters and the world needs a man like you—someone with morals and ideals of a brighter future. But leave this case for the detectives at Met.P.D.'

And that was his final words to him before he was dismissed. He wanted Clark to just drop the case he had been looking into all year? Despite this, Clark was not at all disappointed. Sure his hero was not like what he seemed, but then again Ms Lane did warn him that journalism required he bend his own principles every now and then and just obey those with longer digits in their bank accounts.

Well…Clark couldn't have that.

**-=O=-**

On the monorail heading to City Hall, Albert sat in the corner, a large overcoat, gloves, hat and scarf, wrapping his identity and suspicion. He could not help the glow, it was everywhere, his skin and organs basically transparent in a glow that changed colours now it was violet.

He guessed it was a reaction to the intensity of his atomic frequency. Right now he was safe. Any hotter and he might actually kill someone…like last night. Albert shook his head, he could not take the images out of his head, and they were haunting. Their screams….like her screams. Why had this happened to him?

There was a man on the opposite seat who was reading a newspaper, The Daily Planet—on the front in bold writing and a picture of a bald man in a suit. _**LEX LUTHOR VOTED MOST SUCCESSFUL MAN IN THE WORLD.**_ Albert's colours flared at this. Lex Luthor? This was the man that did this…

Why was this happening to him? It was because of Lex Fucking-Luthor. He warned him… warned him that the procedure was not ready…not safe…that the government would have to wait a full year before getting their atomic weapon. But money got in the way and Albert needed to find a way to make the project work faster or get sacked, Luthors were very short tempered and their employees had never known Lex to make idle threats.

Now look at him!

The carriage was quite empty that morning, a fact that left Albert thankful. Still the people in his cart were unnerving. Apart from a mother and her ten year-old son, a homeless man and a couple of skaters, it was most unnervingly quiet. The son looked at him most of the trip. Did he see through his disguise? Albert hoped not. He had to steal these off a man from Suicide Slum…came with a wallet too. The guy had thirty-five bucks and a photo of his hot wife. He hoped the man was alright, normally he would never steal off another person, but he needed the clothing.

Through the clear windows, Albert could see the entire city down to the Daily Planet standing tall. He could see the buildings, the homes and the streets, he would never be able to enjoy them again…the sun's rays, and it's hard to feel the warmth of an energy that is less intense than you. Albert sighed, though if he could keep this disguise he just might be able to.

'Mom, that man's glowing…'

The man's heartbeat raced. He had spoken too soon…

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**TOWN HALL, LEXCORP CORPORATE BUILDING**_

Why did her father pick that day of all days to have her immersed in his business world? Stuck in a lifeless board meeting with Wayne Enterprise to negotiate a possible merger…boring!

Leanna didn't even know why her father was even trying. It was common knowledge that LexCorp and Wayne Enterprises have been at war for years now. Back even when LexCorp was called Luthor Corp and was run by her ancestors and Wayne Enterprises by theirs. Now however, the heir to the Wayne legacy and fortune, Bruce Wayne, had disappeared completely. Leanna found that strange because it was right after the Court Hearing of Joe Chill, the man whom had murdered Bruce's parents when the man was but a twelve year old. It was a tragedy in Gotham, but a tragedy that resonated even in Metropolis…especially to her.

Now Wayne Enterprise was left in the hands of very greedy Board members…and equally as dull and boring. Many of them were half dead anyway, and the ones still in their primes—and she used that word lightly…very lightly, were obsessed with money.

Listening to them compare their wealth like that was sickening, especially when one member from Wayne's Board had talked about opening an orphanage or homeless shelter, was laughed at by everyone else and was shunned down as making less money and that was why he'd propose such a notion…even her father joined in the bullying, along with their head, Mr Earls I believe his name was.

_What an asshole_.

They stayed at the meeting for hours upon hours, occasionally an assistant would come in with a tray of glasses and a jug of water, her appearance seemed to attract lot of the eyes to her as she passed, admittedly Leanna's too. It was probably Ms Kyle's breasts and attractive looking face and figure. The assistant was indeed quite hot, even her dad was staring.

'So anyway,' Lex snapped the men back into their minds. 'I do believe that Wayne Enterprise will benefit from this merger. We are both an exceptional power in our jurisdictions, patrons of our cities. Both Gotham City and Metropolis need our advancements in technology and our money. These aspects are our future and our legacy.'

Then Ms Kyle returned with Champagne glasses and a bottle of wine. They watched as she poured down the alcohol with wet tongues…Sex crazed pigs, Lea snorted. And Dad too?!

Then Mr Earls started talking. 'I have full confidence in LexCorp, Mr Luthor, your advancements in Metropolis' technology have benefitted this city for years and have been an inspiration for our own products. Government projects are good but the real money, the real action is in day to day life. faster working phone in the tele-communications department, flatter Television screens, renewable energy sources…that sounds like a good future to me.'

Next Lex stood up for his toast. His champagne raised to the heavens as though in prayer, the others followed too while seated, even Leanna. 'To this beautiful partnership,' cheered Mr Luthor, 'to our legacies.'

The room erupted in unison, 'To legacies!'

And it was done, the final papers were signed, the pledges, and the planning begun. Leanna observed their behaviour from afar. Out of all the officials, not many seemed pleased with the partnership, though they were pros in hiding this fact. She was in the presence of expert liars.

There was an upside though. The top of LexCorp Executives Building did not shy away from the city's luxuries, offering a stunning view of Metropolis' beauty. The old men behind her, conversing with each other, it bored her to no end. She had to deal with that a lot at home. Thus just standing there, the wide room sized plain of glass allowing her full access, was well demanded. The sun, shining high in the distance, over oceans, past the docks—she could see Watchtower from where she was and yearned to be behind her station again.

Anywhere than here!

Leanna was startled by a woman from behind her. It was that assistant girl. 'Not a party sort of girl?' she said to her.

Leanna shook her head. 'I'm not a business sort of girl.'

The woman giggled, 'I can tell. You were dozing off a couple of times there. Humphry's report on financial stability, was it?'

The young Luthor groaned in mock terror. 'The guy wouldn't stop talking about Niccolò Machiavelli.' She said exasperatedly as if she were talking to Mr Humphry himself, 'Machiavelli was all about power, idiot!' the two girls laughed aloud.

'Guys get like that when they get older.'

To that Leanna expressed her agreement. Her dad was always like that. Everything in her life could be traced back to some Roman official or another, whether Julius Caesar or Augustus, lately he'd threw in names like Nero at her. In her household that had been a swear word. Nero—the mad emperor whom let his city crumble while he played the fiddle and watched it burn.

Personally Leanna always sought to be more like Marcus Aurelius…_The Stoic Emperor_. That man knew how to deal with jerks and the assholes of his time. _Why can't I learn how to do that?_

'You're Alexander's daughter aren't you?' she barely caught the assistant's inquiry.

Alexander? 'Oh, you mean Lex? Yeah, he's my dad.' She then extended her hand for Lea to shake.

'I'm Kyle, Selina Kyle?' said the assistant. 'I'm from Gotham.'

Selina's smile was warming, she had an aura of trust about her, much like Clark's only more feminine. She seemed more easy going than the Boy Scout. Quickly Lea inspected her. _Not as slender a figure as she had thought. Tight suit her form nicely…she works out regularly as also indicated by her phone case and Walkman and earphones in her hand bag she placed on the table. Blonde hair but the reclining signs of black here and there…she dies her own hair._

She accepts Selina's hand. 'Good to meet you. The name's Leanna Luthor. Or Lea—at least that's what Clark calls me.'

Suddenly the Wayne Enterprises assistant's peaked up. 'Ooh, who's Clark, a boyfriend?'

Leanna was such an idiot. She'd been studying her that she had let that little thing slip…oh well Leanna, suddenly remembering that Ms Kyle would be leaving for Gotham in a few days anyway, she relaxed a bit more. 'Actually no, Clark Kent's more of a very best friend from University.'

'Does _Clark_ know your cheeks turn pink when you say his name?'

Leanna gently shoved Selina's shoulder in mock offense. 'Actually he's already taken and I intend to keep him as close to the Friendzone as possible.'

'But not actually in it?' Leanna watched her quirk a brow, she wasn't buying it. Then the two young women burst out in laughter. 'Is Clark a nice guy?'

This time, Lea sighed. 'Yeah…he's a nice guy. He's too nice though. The sort of guy to save cats from trees and little children from burning buildings in exchange for a smile and cat owners or parents with better watch on their loved ones.'

Ms Kyle bobbed her head, understanding her in full. 'A dangerous type indeed,' she remarked, looking out onto the clean and sparkling city. 'I think we need more _Clarks_ in Gotham.'

**-=O=-**

'I am so screwed!' Clark groaned into his hands. Perry said that he could not use his original project on corruption in Metropolis. Now he had no story. All that hard work sneaking around, using his speed to quickly take pictures and notes, using his vigilante persona to interrogate leads. All for a good cause, of course. People like Hornigold, people that were trusted to oversee justice had used that very system for their own selfish gains.

He sat there at the cafeteria table with a latte and a laptop open…but nothing. He had no story.

At the Daily Star, Clark had free reign. Everything he wrote had a purpose with an intended impact. When he learned how news is really gathered, how sources and situations are provoked and then thrown out of context on the nightly news or morning papers, it tore at him. At the Star they encouraged him to look past the norms, to slip past what now defines journalistic integrity.

Now…for America, the news was a tool.

There were so many things to fix now. Clark had intended for his article to make the papers…his contacts, his leads, his connections were a liability to the story. But now that there's no story, would they die in vain?

'Hay, what's eaten ya, four-eyes?' Clark looked up from his palms, the light dazzling in his eyes yet he could not feel much of its sensation. Ms Lane stood before him with a mug of hot coffee in her hands. She had a bemused look on her face like she enjoyed seeing him in such misery. And the name? Clark had to admit it was a little overrated by now.

Clark sighed, expelling the annoyed tone in his voice. 'Nothing, I'm just tired.'

'Alright, you got ideas for a story to run yet?'

Clark shook his head and groaned back into his palms. 'I've got nothing and Perry's gonna kill me!'

Lois shook her head as she patted him on the back in an awkward gesture of reassurance. 'Don't sweat it too much Smallville. You've got four weeks to follow up on a lead and write that article.' She then took a seat opposite him and reclines against the metal chair. 'I don't say this often but Perry seems to believe in you…and I also read your entry article as well. You've got the words done right and after the right story that's all you need.'

Clark was left speechless. 'Wow, did hard hitting, famous reporter Lois Lane really pay an intern candidate a compliment?' He said playfully in a sarcastic manner.

'Oh shut up, Smallville. Contradictory to popular belief but I actually want my charges to succeed,' she defended though to no avail as Clark's sceptical gaze is to go on. 'But don't let that part of me fool you, Smallville. You'll be tested on the ferocity of your ambitions. Do you want this position or not and how much?'

Their conversation did not last long though and soon Lois stood up and made to leave but not before patting Clark on the back and reminded him of the task at hand. He needed to think of a story and plan his next move. He got up and mad his way to the elevator. He saw several other interns making their way to the archives room. Probably searching for inspiration, should be something that he himself should be looking at doing.

Perhaps he could attain some much needed inspiration outside?

'Hey Clark!' he was then spun around, meeting face to face with Heather, a nervous smile on her face. Her blonde hair tied back, letting the light outline her beautiful face. He could not lie…he was still feeling the sting of yesterday. 'Wanna go get a coffee?' she asked.

Clark merely shrugged. 'I don't know, Heather, Wouldn't want to demean your reputation and all that.' yet still, he could not hide the repulsion and disappointment in his voice. But when he saw her face, fallen like it'd been slapped hard, Clark eased up. 'Sorry. I was planning on a quiet train ride to…you know think and get some inspiration for the Article Assignment for Perry.'

'Oh…right.' She stopped for a while as he walked on but then decided to catch up to him again. 'How about I go with you? We can bounce ideas off of each other.' When Clark declined again, Heather sighed. They passed through the entrance to The Planet and onto the general path to the monorail station at Central. 'Look, I'm sorry about yesterday,' she started. 'I realised how you must have felt and al—'

'Is it embarrassment?' Clark interrupted. 'I'm a bumbling nerd that couldn't stand up for myself? Are you embarrassed to be seen with me around your friends?'

'What. No, no, no, Clark, I'm sorry. I don't feel embarrassed about us, why should I?' then her eyes reached the ground. They reached the flight of stairs leading up to the station a few feet above ground. 'It's just…I didn't want…I don't want people to think that the only reason you get hired is through me. You're a talented guy, Clark. I just didn't want to ruin your future.'

Heather did not seem to notice that Clark had stopped or the reason for it. She also did not notice where she now stood…inside the actual monorail cart while Clark a few steps outside. She smiles at him, he smiles back. 'Any future with you in it would have been fine with me.' And with that the doors shut, surprising Clark's girlfriend for a mere moment before she sighed sadly and allowed the train to take her.

He watched her leave.

On the station Clark waited for a few minutes for the other train, all the while he thought, long and hard. It was more akin to meditation. His old mentors in various places had always commented that you should meditate daily. Don't empty your mind for that would leave it vulnerable to be filled with so many evil thought, instead you should focus more, clear your head of chaos. Reorganise the mental palace in your head and watch the waters flow, relieving your mind of muddled and confusing sequences.

On that bench at Central Station, Clark pondered. His works on the rich and corrupt was a no-go, to be honest he could see why. At the Star, that was what he wrote mostly, about businessmen and government official in their corruption. Of course the Star was not a widely read newspaper so it was no surprise he had no readers. SO now what was he to do?

Around two minutes later he heard it…the screams. As the years had gone by, Clark had learned to master his senses. He remembered a day at school where his eyes, still trying to adjust their sensitivity to the electro-magnetic spectrum were smashed simultaneously with his enhanced hearing. It was a nightmare and if it weren't for his mother's rescue, he'd burn down the entire school.

Now he was picking something else up…there was screaming…coming from the train…Heather's train. It was miles away by now. Swiftly, Clark threw on his crimson jacket and a cap before leaping out into the sky. The jump was high, high enough to go over buildings in a single bound. Yet still, everything has to come down and Clark could feel gravity pulling at him.

He sees the train a few miles away. He was sure he could make it on top. But there was another on the roof. Clark could not make out his face but the glow was familiar. The anomaly was ripping through the train's top, blasting beams of purple light from his eyes. The faces of the citizens inside were that of terror as the creature threw gaze after gaze of his beams which turned the contacts into dust. Acting quickly, Clark went n head first, faster and with precision managed to shove the creature inside.

He'd made sure not to break through the train for it might cause greater harm in the long run. Some of the passengers were running off the compartment but there were still others rooted to their corners.

Clark got up within the train and so did the assailant. It was him…the one from the abandoned Cadmus Labs. 'Please,' it started. 'I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I can't control these things.' The man gestured to his hands which were still glowing a violet hue and seeing the man's skeleton also added in the unnerving feeling. 'Please help me.'

Clark laid his hands in front of him in reassurance and caution. 'Okay, sir. Calm down.' He approached slowly, bearing in mind the many passengers around him. 'We need to get off this train and get you to a doctor.'

To this the glowing man became fearful. He backed away hastily. 'No, don't take me back there. Not to Cadmus!' The glowing man backed away, recoiling as if he'd placed a hand in fire. 'Get away from me!'

Clark tried again to calm him down. He could see the man's light flickering more fiercely. 'Okay, sir. No doctors.' Despite Clark attempts the man entered a violent array of power and lights that killed off another man in the cart. When he tried to calm the man further, Clark found himself at the very back of the carriages, six carts away. The punch had left a great ache in his head. Then there was the static shock injected into his heart. He clenched his fists to numb the pain the man's EMP was giving him. This was not going to be easy.

**-=\S/=-**

**Author's Note: I am so, sorry that it took me ages to update. I've been overseas. Most of the places I've been were remote and isolated so no wifi or internet so no posting. I hope that you find this fic of mine to be worth the wait. I promise more is coming. **


	6. Under The Bed

**Chapter Five**

**UNDER THE BED**

'Shit, fuck!'

When Dr Laurance Lerman accepted a secretive job from Lex Luthor to work on a project so secret not even the US Government knew about it, he was a little worried about the exact nature of the project. Long hours and no hazardpay, plus he was also quite concerned that he might become an accessory or an accomplice working for a threat to national security…

But then once he was shown his project, all of his worries…gone. And the money didn't hurt either. But that was more than eight years ago.

'What is it Dr Lerman?' his blonde research assistant appeared out of her office with a mug.

Lerman sighed and told her not to worry. He had been tapering with Subject B1 for the most of that morning. It was his job. He spent around three years inspecting the device. Made of a mineral that was completely indestructible…at least when met with hostiles found on Earth. It had been sitting on the desk for years. They didn't need to maintain it at all. The metal seemed to be resistant to corrosion. It was a metal that he could not point out. 'Not now, Laurie. Be a helpful girl and get me my recorder!'

He scratched his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. It was not on the periodic table—that much was certain. The question was…what was it?

That morning however—He had been experimenting with his team. It became clear a few years ago that the subject was somehow sentient. According to the document videos, B1 was operational up until its capture by LexCorp.

They've tried everything, every power source but the device did not respond to anything. It was a dark sort of metallic object, humanoid in design with sleek plating and crystals adorning its head. Its face was a replica of a human man's, looking not sad but profound? It was like it knew things, terrible things. Its eyes opened, yet the silence, dead.

It was a little bit wrecked but his team could make an educated guess. Three crystal circles aligned in a triangle on his forehead. That morning, Lerman tried close to a hundred watts of electricity. He saw the bolts head into the crystals, as if they were drawn to it, yet still, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing, it did not respond, it didn't so much as rock, even at the sheer force of the electrical blast.

He smashed his fists against the testing bench. 'It has to have a power source!' he cried mostly to himself. 'It has to run on something, everything does!'

But what?

THUMMMM!

They felt the walls to their cement lab shake and grumble. The thing was—Project Collector rested two and a half hundred feet below LexCorp Central building. It was normally left undisturbed by the goings of the "surface world".

'What was that?' his assistant came running in again. Maybe it was an earthquake?

That was when something quite extraordinary happened. There was more thumping, more grumbling coming from the walls. The lights hanging above them swung to and fro, dancing to the rhythmic chaos above. About the third minute of the rumbling, followed by a huge THUD, they felt a wave of power unlike anything they've heard before. It seemed to be adaptable, almost omnipotent as it affected every electrical current from the lights, their phones…and Subject B1.

It started with a series of hums, before it completely transformed into beeping, like sonar. It gave a weird chill down Dr Lerman's spine. But nothing could compare to what the thing did next.

'_Homing beacon activated_,' said Subject B1 in a monotone, robotic voice though its mouth was not moving. It's eyes however, as well as the crystals on its forehead were glowing blue. '_Estimating time for arrival…one Earth cycle,_' and then it fell dead once again. The

Lerman fell back onto a chair behind him. He did not like it, whatever it was the robot said.

After a few more minutes of grumbling, movement stopped. The lab became quiet again. This elicited a sigh of relief from the Doctor and his young assistant. She ties her blond hair back again, sometime during the shaking it had come undone. 'What was that?'

Dr Lerman shrugged. He then took a voice recorder from his desk and began talking to it. 'LexCorp Corporate Building, Metropolis, Monday February 14th 2013, the time is approximately 11:30 am, Project Collector was thought to have reached a dead end with Subject B1. For the past eight years there have been little to no progress. But at 11:30 during an unknown change in ground stability, a disturbance had roused the machine. Though it itself did not move, an audio recording that lasted mere seconds have confirmed it is operational. Power source is still unknown, however we can gather samples from round the lab for any traces. Whatever that quake was, it brought a power source to the subject.' With that he switched the recorder off and bent over his desk, trying to defrag his brain a little bit.

'You think that the vibrations had something to do with Subject B1's activation?' inquired his assistant. She then checked her readings for confirmation. 'I'm picking up some slight frequencies and a sharp pop of Gamma.'

Lerman sighed again. He really didn't want to do this. It was more than tedious but Mr Luthor suggested it would be a smarter thing to do. 'I'm going to need a new assistant…again,' he whispered.

'I'm sorry?' she asked, not hearing him.

The scientist produced a pistol from under his desk and without hesitation sent three led bullets speeding through the young girl's chest. She fell back onto the cold hard floor…but she was still awake, still gasping for breath. That was about to change. Lerman stood over her and with his gun aimed it at her head, her face marred now with a mix of confusion and dread. It was a shame, she was very pretty, yet, Luthor said that once progress was achieved…then as team leader he needed to grab a new set of eyes and minds. His entire team of thirty will need to change. 'It's time to refresh.' BANG!

**-=O=-**

It took roughly thirty minutes for the doctor to do his duty and kill off his entire team. But it did not matter. He had more than a hundred young minds, innocent minds that were waiting to get accepted for a job that paid more than a hundred bucks an hour.

He was left alone now. Well, not truly alone. He had Subject B1 looking up at him with vacant eyes. Everything, every advancements in human technology around Metropolis were because of this man…thing. LexCorp was doing this city a favour, it was making things better.

Sometimes that progress demanded a sacrifice. He looked around him at the many bodies, drowned in blood. Progress was like a god of its own, and like the Incas and Mayans and Aztecs, and their sun god, a sacrifice would definitely appease them. Lerman caressed the robot's metallic head, his hands brushed over the crystal circles. He smiled to himself in the lonely darkness. Despite the short coming of the machine's activation, it proved useful. At last he knew this thing worked brilliantly and also despite Laurel's annoying almost incompetence, she worked quite well here. Her analysis of the electro-magnetic frequency was on the dot. He practically punched himself. Why didn't he realise this?

Gamma radiation in that amount should have been close to the first thing they tried. But he guessed with every genius from Einstein to Hawking, they needed a moment to mentally kick themselves in the butt.

Again, he smiled at himself. 'I've got a lot of work to do.'

**-=O=-**

He was sweating, heavily. There were practically pools around him now. That man…just killed a whole roomful of people. People he knew. Jesus Christ, what just happened!

Jim had thought that his day would have been an easy going day. He got a call from a friend of his, they went for coffee and he showed him around his lab under LexCorp. It wasn't easy to sneak in but all the same he did. You see Jimmy Olsen was an amateur Photographer, usually Freelance, but at times he'd take a job at the Daily Planet. He normally worked with Lois Lane so he knew a thing or two about not being seen. The two had seen a lot of things they shouldn't have.

But sometimes though, like right now, he wondered if there was a reason you got caught. Maybe there are things you just don't want to see.

Now he was scared out of his wits. He was trapped in a laboratory with a madman that murdered his closest friend in cold blood right in front of him. He felt like such a coward because after the first shot was fired Jimmy dropped to the ground and hid beneath the couch in the lounge area.

He saw Bart gunned down, in fact he was looking at Bart's face right now. Vacant eyes, mouth opened with a river of blood pouring out. Then there was the bullet hole between his brows. A horrid vision, and Jimmy was crying, quiet sobs, he knew he would get caught. Fuck this.

**-=ARISE=-**

**Author's Note: Hey guys, Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It isn't much but I just needed it in there. I think I was supposed to put this in the last chapter but forgot. So sorry. Please comment on it, I wanna see if it's alright.**


	7. Exposed

**Chapter Six**

**EXPOSED**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**SMALLVILLE, KANSAS—11 YEARS AGO**_

The orange sun shines in the distance, rays pouring over fields and fields of crops, feeding them, making them grow tall and strong, ready to feed the planet's inhabitants. Through the fields of gold lay a wide road that connected the many farming estates to the main town a few miles away.

A school bus zooms by. The yellow paint was a little pale, the stripes fading and inside as chaotic as the colours outside. The students acting out like this was normal really, a sort of ritual every morning that filled it with life. But amidst the loud and noisy was one boy left in silence, watching the rising sun from the window. Nobody would know but the sun was having far more effects on him than anyone else would ever know.

What the boy was pondering over, even more riddling…especially for a fourteen year-old. So consumed was he in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice the bigger boys flicking wet tissue pallets at his head. A few had even gotten stuck in his hair.

'Hey, leave him alone, Brad!' a girl scolded the boys and snapped young Clark from his isolation as she seated herself beside him. Lana cleared his hair of the disgusting tissues and gave him a big and warming smile. 'Sorry, Clark,' she apologised. 'Brad and the rest of them were throwing wet tissue balls at you.'

'You didn't need to do that, Lana.' Though his voice sounded emotionless as always, the small half-smile he showed told Lana everything. The two had been best friends since kindergarten. Inseparable for the most parts, even as Clark slowly began to withdraw from the world—she was always there to draw back a little. 'Brad's going to double his efforts later. I don't know what the guy's problem is.'

'Well you know…the whole nerd and jock thing really does exist.'

Clark shrugged and continued his intimacy with the sun. 'What about you, where do you fit in?'

Lana's cheeks reddened as she supressed a blush. 'Pete's not coming in today. Wonder why?' She asked, changing the subject completely.

The oblivious boy shrugged. 'It's quiz day. I'm sure I'd probably stay home too if—'

'…If you weren't such a nerd?' Lana laughed, sliding a little closer to her oldest and closest friend. You could always tell where people are best friends. Clark laughed at Lana's little crack at levity.

But that light hearted moment did not last.

An object on the road, sharp, dangerous—it pierced the bus's front tires. The school bus skidded out of control onto the bridge. It crashed through the side and into the river.

Inside, the children were screaming in a panicked frenzy. No one knew what to do. The driver had passed out leaving only the young ones surrounded by river water. The water had already completely submerged the windows and the inside was only catching up.

They were so scared, so frightened for their own lives and who wouldn't, that Lana did not notice Clark was out of his seat and at the rear exit of the bus. The water was already up to his waist as he turned around, looking at the people behind him, at the screaming children. It was not that he did not know how to do it. He'd been practicing, honing his powers to keep them in check.

He could save them. The question was...should he?

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**METROPOLIS, Below the LexCorp Building**_

_**11:30am**_

What a lousy morning, Clark Kent was having. First the Reporter's Assignment, his story being rejected (Not without reason though), then the encounter with his girlfriend…and now this?

A man he met earlier while investigating LexCorp's former lab for Applied Sciences, an aberration that had the man's skin glowing, though also showing the man's skeletal system as well as omit an odour of radioactivity. The man's very presence was a danger to society, it could kill people…it could be killing people now while he fought the man that had now become so deranged.

In his madness, the aberration had smacked Clark across the face so hard that he flew out of the train, crashing within the LexCorp building and startling the people around him.

That was not all though.

Clark emerged from the rubble that fell on top of him upon his rough entry. People scrambled out to safety when they saw a man come rise from the rubble mostly unscathed. A warranted response, Clark thought.

He stood, his maroon leather jacket covered in dust. His baseball cap and shades as well. In a clash, the glowing man landed a few feet away from him, standing just outside. He stood a little confused, staring at his hands. The jacket that cloaked him was torn, revealing more of his morphed body.

'I feel…different.' He stared at his hands as if they were the new centre of the universe. Some might even agree. While he marvelled at himself, the sound of sirens rang through the air in alert.

The authorities were on their way. Clark needed to—CLANK!

The atomic man then pointed at the monorail track. 'I'm sorry, sir. But I can't go back to those men. I spent years being poked and prodded…never again!' The monorail…its tracks were collapsing yet the train was going at full speed toward the building. Did the atomic man do that?

The screams of innocent civilians on that train, yelling, crying for God to save them, echoed in his ear. Clark looked back on the atomic man whom had been following his gaze to the train.

'You gonna get that?' he said, referring to the monorail heading to its doom. The man had said it in a suave and confident ergo arrogant tone, completely different to the confused demeanour he held only a few minutes ago, Clark thought.

It was chaos. Between the howling sirens, the screaming and the atomic dude's taunts, Clark's mind was buzzing. The train was getting closer and for a moment…time had stopped. What should he have done?

**-=O=-**

_**SMALLVILLE**_

_**KANSAS, USA—11 YEARS AGO**_

Should he?

Should he have saved them?

The water was reaching their waists, and while Lana was screaming her lungs out beside him, Clark sat in silence and analysed the situation. His choices weighing on something his parents had always fretted upon.

But it was their faces that weighed heavier, and the people that owned them, especially Lana. Clark quickly got up from his seat and passed Lana toward the rear exit. He took one last uncertain look behind him. He was content with sacrificing his life for his secrets…but he would never sacrifice the lives of anyone else.

Sometimes these thoughts disturbed him.

Miraculously, the water inside began to recede. They all realised it. Lana looked around her…Clark was gone.

The bus rose from the river, slowly. Though the bus driver had died, drowned in the river, the children were safe. But how? Many asked this…but the children knew. Lana looked behind her seat at the rear exit. The door ajar, and on the bottom, was a pair of hands clutching the edge. Then the face they belonged to rose out.

'Clark?'

He then turned around…one more boy to save. Clark dove back into the freezing water. All of the students went to the back of the bus to see what was going on, Lana at the very front. They all gasped in as young Clark Kent, the weirdo that people sometimes like to bully and push around, mainly because he never threw a single punch back—step out of the water carrying a near catatonic Bradley Fordham from the waters.

**-=O=-**

_**PRESENT DAY METROPOLIS**_

_**11:36 am**_

The train zoomed uncontrollably. The atomic skull had destroyed the controls, leaving the train on its course. In the second cart, Heather Kelley braced herself for the worst. She cried for everyone else to get down and press against the closest surface.

Then something struck the train from the front. It did not stop the train but somehow they were slowing down a little bit.

But unfortunately it was not enough.

Clark leapt onto the tracks just before the train and with every amount of strength he had yet still not too callous as to stop it instantly and cause even greater harm. No, he needed not to completely stop it but to channel it delicately until the kinetic force was exhausted. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

There was a screeching below him. The tracks weren't going to support them both anymore. To add to all this, they had run out of tracks. With Clark still holding on the train flew off the tracks and left for gravity to send them pummelling to the ground.

It felt…Clark could not fathom it. For a brief moment he felt like he was flying, he felt like he could actually take off and save them all. Was this another power?

Oh crap! No it wasn't…

'AAAARGH!' Clark felt gravity kick in and they all fell. He got to the nose of the train and attempted to catch it. It was not smooth. The transition from no ground to hard concrete was rough. The pavement cracked under the weight of them both. Clark put pressure on his footing and tried now, to tempt physics with force he applied a force of his own against it.

And then finally…with a CRASH! The train jerked to a stop, smashed into a metallic wall at the foot of LexCorp.

At first it was quiet. People both inside the train and out were silent as they processed what had happened. Cops arrived too, guns aimed at an aberration emerging from the bottom of the monorail train. It was a man, and everyone gasped at the sight.

A man in blue jeans and a maroon jacket struggled out from under the train. Clark huffed and puffed in exhaustion, sweat and dirt staining his face and body. His hair was in disarray, partially covering his eyes as he looked around at the many people, fear on their faces. A few of them even took steps back. He had been afraid for so long of this. Despite everything his mother and father had taught him. Fear is the easiest emotion for humans, spontaneous…and at times the trigger for destructiveness.

For a while now, he'd been doing things, helping out from the shadows. He was used to it. Every time a terrorist threatened the lives of innocents, or when greedy businessmen ripped off from the poor and needy, he was there to help the helpless. Oil rigs in the ocean that threatened to pollute the oceans after an accident that was then mysteriously averted. Every life he'd saved…he'd done in the covers of shadows.

Sometimes people had even mistaken him for what had started happening in Gotham City eight months ago.

But now…Clark was exposed. He felt so naked at that moment, in the open, surviving a bloody train crashing into him. What would they do?

As the police began to advance on him, he saw the train doors open and the passengers crawling out in pained groans. Instantly Clark's attentions left him and moved to the people. 'Please, sirs, these people need help.'

They hesitated…for a while, perhaps working the courage? Or determining which was important. But fortunately, they chose to help out the passengers from the wreckage. Clark did a quick scan with his enhanced eyesight.

'Sir, about ten of them have fractures around the upper body, six have broken legs and noses,' he told one of the officers. 'I also see an elderly at the back with a failing heart.'

'Don't worry, a couple of ambulances are on their way.' The police officer smiled at him. 'You did a good job.'

Clark smiled back…and that was when they began to clap. Clark stepped back from the train as the audience around him, including the passengers, begin to clap and chant appraisals. Clark would not lie, he felt good in that moment. His insecurities became quiet whispers in the back of his head, easily forgotten.

He stood there, tall and proud. They were cheering for him. They saw him stop a crash that might have turned in deaths and now they cheered for him. He looked all around him, full three-sixty degrees, men, women and children, clapping and showing their amazement.

Then he stopped, his fear returning, his breath taken out of his lungs. For there, at the front of the crowd of passengers was his girlfriend Heather. She gave an unsure and discrete wave to him. He saw the dumbfounded look on her. Slowly Clark made his way backwards. He passed through the gathering masses trying to touch every inch of him.

He realised he also lost the atomic man guy. Back at the Watchtower, Clark groaned in into his hands. That day turned out quite bittersweet. What was he going to do?

**-=O=-**__

_**LOCATION:**_

_**KENT FARM, SMALLVILLE**_

_**KANSAS, USA—11 YEARS AGO**_

In the end, school was cancelled for the day. Each child was picked up by their parents and neither of them would shut up about what the freak did that day.

Clark sat on the swing overhearing Brad Fordham's mother exalt on the fact that Clark was sent down by the heavens. That it was an act of providence that saved her son from drowning. Clark didn't think his folks believed that though.

His mother smiled at his father as she handed her a cup of coffee. 'Come on, Susan, I think you're blowing it a little out of proportion—'

'No I'm not,' Mrs Fordham insisted. 'Lana saw him too…and the Lerman boy.'

Clark couldn't take it. They were talking about him as if he weren't…oh right, he thought. He actually wasn't there. He shouldn't be able to hear them…but he could!

That evening, on the barn roof, Clark looked up at the sky. He looked up at the orang sky, the last signs of day slipping away past the horizon. He loved this place, he could see the fields stretching past as far as the eye could see and further. He loved Smallville. It was just that…small, and if "small" was this big…then the world would definitely be bigger.

He basked in the last light, his body feeling so nourished. He could feel the slight chill in the winds, normally when he allowed himself a single moment to relax and let it all in.

'Hey Clark,' a small voice broke the serenity, but in a way he welcomed it. Looking over the edge at the barn's upper level hatch he saw Lana looking at him. 'Could I come up?' she asked.

Clark exhales a breath of air he hadn't noticed he had been keeping in. 'If you could.'

Lana chuckles lightly. After struggling to climb up, Clark saw fit to help her. The two just sat down on the roof, neither of the teenagers could find words to say to the other. Lana was definitely nervous…and at the same time, quite upset.

'You never told me?' she declared.

Clark shrugged. 'There was nothing to tell.'

'Except that you could lift a freaking truck with your bare hands.'

The hurt in her voice was not lost on him. But what could he say? 'But I'm still the same guy, Lana. I don't want that to change, how you guys look at me.'

'I don't mind that you wanted to stay in the shadows, Clark,' she said. 'I get it, you don't want to be seen as more of a weirdo than you already are,' He could also hear the levity in her tone now. She had been smiling at him. But then her smile faded. 'But I thought I was your best friend…I thought Pete was too. Why didn't you trust us?' Lana was on the verge of tears now, and it pained him to see her like this. It always did and most of that came from the fact that Lana never cried for anything. 'Why didn't you trust _me_?'

When Clark didn't answer her, she just looked up at the falling sun. Clark followed her gaze, he then saw he hand beside her and decided to place his own over hers. 'Your opinions of me mattered the most, Lana…because you're my best friend. Because I couldn't tell you that I was changing. That I could no longer play football with you guys because I was afraid I'd accidentally send one of you to the hospital. Or that I have to wear glasses now because every time I get too excited, my eyes start burning things. I couldn't tell you that I could hear your heartbeat while you were three miles away.'

Lana was stunned. She was left completely frozen. She had not known what she'd really expected when she went up here to talk to him. She no longer felt she knew much about him anymore. She watched him stand up, his back towards her.

'I don't know what's happening to me, Lana. All I know is that there is no one else like me and that scares the crap out of me.' To stop her own heart from melting away, Lana quickly got to her feet and took her best friend in for a hug. She could feel such warmth by simply hugging him. He was a lot taller now, a lot stronger, and he'd loved him since forever.

'It's okay,' she whispers in his neck. 'You don't have to be afraid of that with me or Pete. We're your friends.'

The two best buddies stayed up until the sun disappeared completely, though her illuminating rays still visible beyond the confines of the open world. 'I'm glad you know now, Lana.' He admitted. Lana placed a couple of her red hair behind her ear to distract from the blush appearing on her cheek. 'I'm glad you're still my friend.'

Lana giggled, 'Sure, Clark.' They stayed in each other's arms for another hour or so before Lana spoke again. 'Umm, Clark…could we get down now?'

They both smiled and laughed.

**-=O=-**

Lex Luthor was having a great time up at his suite with his colleagues and his new business partner at Wayne Enterprises. They had just brokered a very difficult merger between the two companies. It was no secret that the Waynes and Luthors have been at each other's throats ever since their companies' conception. Both trying to outsell, outbid and ultimately outdo each other. No it was no ide feet that he accomplished mere hours ago. He made peace with his enemies…he subdued the giant. They needed to celebrate.

He saw his daughter talking to one of the assistants from Wayne Enterprises and made for them. The woman excused herself as soon as she saw him but Leanna sneered at his presence and walked off before he even reached the window. He sighed in defeat. He was losing his daughter.

Ten minutes later, a loud boom came from below. Frightened, the board members were instructed to stay put while Lex checked in with security.

What he saw more than just blew his mind. The security cameras located at the frontal hub revealed it. Two beings so strange they'd be rejected by the circus. There was one that he assumed emitted some sort of energy from his body like skin, and another that got hit by a seven ton train and still survive to tell people about it.

'What the fuck are they?'

Lex shook his head, his eyes not leaving the screen to address the security guard beside him, 'An abnormality, Mr Wigg.' To say the two specimens peeked Lex's interest would undermine his intellect. He was intrigued yes, fixated, the questions arose in an instant in his head.

He watched the footage over and over again and soon his guessed were all but forgotten, including an angry daughter that marched out of the building punching every guard that tried to stop her.

**-=O=-**

**Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It was certainly a blast to write it. My internet is quite limited so it might be a little tricky to post as frequently as I would like. Please tell me what you think of this chapter and your opinion of the whole fic in general as well as some of my other works too.**


	8. A Lot Of Explaining

**Chapter Seven **

**A LOT OF EXPLAINING**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**WATCHTOWER, METROPOLIS**_

_**5:15pm**_

Clark knew that covering his ears would do nothing to dull her voice, especially when she was pissed. 'How could you be so effing stupid, Kent!' Clark groaned, when she used his last name in that tone…it was not good. She paced around the room, holding her forehead in frustration, thinking a hundred thoughts at once. 'You're so stupid, Clark.'

'I…I know, Lea…I wasn't trying to make a scene.'

'We've been doing this in secret for months, Clark.' Lea continued, seemingly not hearing. 'No one was meant to know. No one was meant to see your face.'

A sigh or…more of an annoyed groan escaped Clark's mouth. This was worse than anytime his mother got angry and tried to scold him, and she scolded him often, usually when he let ego get the better of him.

The widely nervous man looked up at his friend. Her glare was penetrating and firm, staring down at him as he sat on the edge of the elevation below his desk. When he got back a few hours earlier, he had seen this coming. He anticipated her rage but to experience it? She had never been this angry with him and Clark felt like he was a kid being scolded.

'You're so effing stupid. Why didn't you go before they saw you,' she berated him, 'and that atomic skull, why didn't you stop him?'

'Look,' Clark got up now staring her down. 'I did what I thought was right at the time. He had destroyed the train's controls and the tracks. There were people on that train and the drop was more than fifty feet…they would have perished if I'd—'

'Don't give me excuses, Clark.' She crossed her arms. 'There were a hundred things you could have done to stop that train that did not necessarily involve exposing yourself. You know they caught you on camera. The Daily Planet's been broadcasting it for hours now. They have pictures of you!' She pointed her remote to her workstation where one of the monitors that had the Suicide Squad members now held a tab for the Daily Planet News Site.

Leanna looked at the picture that showed above the actual article. It was a picture of him moments before the train stopped. His feet barely touched the ground and he held the train in his arms. It wasn't a humbling photo, and looking at it only made Clark feel even more uncomfortable. What was even more unnerving was the headline above the picture.

_**METROPOLITAN MONORAIL SAVED BY A SUPERMAN?**_

The young Luthor chuckled at the headline, "_Superman_", that's what they're calling you?'

Clark groaned. 'I hate that. Who came up with that?'

Leanna shrugged as she continued to read the article. It was a short one, barely a thousand words. Most of the attention was geared toward the picture anyway. 'It looks like your boss Lois Lane came up with that title.'

Now Clark was at an even greater loss, trying to grasp it all. 'Wha…what? I didn't even see her there!'

'Well looks like she even took the picture as well.' Clark silently cursed himself. How was he going to settle this?

The public now knew of his secret, that he existed. All of his hard work and the hardship of his family, all down the drain. How was he supposed to protect people now?

But that would have to wait. Soon the conversation was geared into the disappearance of the Atomic Skull, so designated by Leanna Luthor, 'You know, just to add more zing into this already dull job we have.' She told him.

'Well don't make a habit out of it,' Clark responded. 'You're sort of taking away the seriousness of the situation here. The man is a walking Chernobyl testing site.'

'Well, you'll be happy to know I hacked into a secure military computer system that was tracking his whereabouts.'

Clark looked simply scandalised, glaring now at his friend. 'No, I'm not. You hacked into a—'

'No time for that, Kent,' she cut him off as she began to work the keys on her workstation like it was child's play. 'According to them, Atomic Skull's signature keeps disappearing. The problem is, they're tracing one frequency signature at a time and the Skull's emitting all of them at different times.'

'Will you find him?'

Lea shrugged, the hazel orbs in her head glued to the screen. 'I'll keep at it if you want while you go explain to the Mrs what you were doing lifting up a train compartment at Town Hall.'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**RESIDENTS DISTRICT, EAST METROPOLIS**_

_**6:00pm**_

To say that Heather Kelley was nervous…would be an understatement—cliché, yes but all true. She paced around his apartment, hands jittery, head all over the place, she was a mess. All day around her own apartment she'd been dizzy, jumpy. She even called work to say she wasn't feeling well.

What was she going to do?

She felt herself jump as the door opened revealing the tall, handsome form of her boyfriend.

Clark stood at the door, looking as lost and uncomfortable as she did. He closed the door behind him but found the privacy even more uncomfortable. He pulled his jacket off, a different one from the leather one she saw on him as he lifted the train she had been in, and hung it on the rack beside him.

She was speechless, within her subconscious mind she'd find that quite funny, ironic—Heather Kelley a news presenter known for her big mouth had nothing to say right now.

'So…' he started.

'So…' she echoed with a nervous chuckle. 'How was your day, sweetheart?'

They both let out skittish laughter as Heather got to her feet. She'd never realised just how tall Clark was. He towered over him, yet his glasses seemed to give the illusion of a bookish nerd. Looking at the paused news footage of her own boyfriend, holding up an entire train with his bare hands, gave a slight chill down her spine.

They embraced. Somehow it felt a little weird, for them both.

'So, what exactly are you?' They sat now at the dining table. Clark held her hand lovingly, admiring their softness. 'I mean, are you human?'

Clark sighed. 'I am not entirely sure of that myself, Heather. All I know is that I'm not human. I'm not even from Earth.'

'You're an alien?'

He smiled and then got up and walked to a shelf. On top he grabbed a wooden box. He opened it and showed her what appeared to be a crystal of some sort. He presented it to her and she examined it closely. It was beautiful. She could see many colours in it, constantly changing, mesmerising. On top of the crystal was a symbol. She recognised it as the same image on Clark's jacket.

'So what else could you do, or are you just super strong?' She gave him a lopsided grin and it felt like it did the first time they met.

Clark shrugged and retook his chair again. 'Well there is my super good looks and personality,' he said in jest earning him a soft punch in the shoulder. 'I guess the rest we'll have to find out.' Clark's heart began to race as Heather leaned in closer and pressed her lips to his.

She spoke again between the kiss. 'Why didn't you ever tell me?'

The nervous Clark shook his head. To be honest, the reason behind his reasons to keep himself a secret, at east to her, had been lost to him for a while now. He could no longer recall why it was so important. 'Sometimes I don't even know,' he answered simply. 'For years I've feared that people would reject me…that you'd reject me, if you knew.'

'Wow…such faith,' she joked. But all jokes aside, she grabbed his hands and smiled at him again. 'Clark, what you have is incredible, and what you just did today, and what I'd gathered was a few months of unexplained averted catastrophes and rescues…it's beautiful. You're a hero.'

Clark groaned, feeling even more embarrassed, 'So you figured it all out then?'

'That you've been saving lives all over the United States for a year now?' her knowing smirk returned. 'I guess it explains a lot of your late arrivals and cancelled dates.' Clark apologised but Heather wouldn't have it. 'Clark, this city needs you.'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**CLASSIFIED**_

Blue light illuminated the dark room. Blue light emitted by large computer monitors glowing—windows to an unimaginable array of data. Computers were the marvel of the new age, of technology, constantly changing, constantly moving forward. Now, he was as old-fashioned as anyone his age, but General Sam Lane definitely appreciated the advancements in human technology...and was no short of utilising it's advantages.

But this, men that glow and are strong enough to lift a whole train with his bare hands…this was something else entirely. As he looked at the screen, eyes fixed on the viral video of the man with the superhuman abilities, and the glowing skeleton man as well. He could not help but feel a chill down his spine. He was back.

'Magnificent isn't he?' General Lane didn't turn away from the screen, from the man that just toppled the face of a building and rose from the rubble. A bald man stood and joined him in the stare, looking at the specimen with unwavering fascination. 'I think this changes some things, General.'

Lane rubbed his bearded chin, a small habit of his ever since his Mrs told him she found it attractive. It's weird what some women find alluring. He simply grunted at him which technically meant "_yes_".

'Amazing,' Lex Luthor remarked. 'Both of them are.' He then turned to one of the military analysts. 'Does anyone have any intel on the glowing aberration? DNA, blood works…get some ID on this guy.'

General Lane glared hotly at the multi-millionaire, scandalised. 'Do you have proper clearance to be here and start barking orders at _my_ men, Luthor?'

Lex chuckled and cleared his throat in mock nervousness. 'General do you ever wonder why the United States can fire their guns at will even during peacetime. Or wonder why despite your claims against, your rough and violently horny men are let off way too easily by the press? It's because of me. I keep prying eyes away from your imperfect _men_.'

'Are your threatening me, Luthor?'

Again the smarter man in the room laughed. 'No, General, though I suspect the rape and murder of innocent Middle-eastern women warrant more than idle threats…' he took a few steps closer to the army man who towered over him by miles. 'And I have never been a man to make idle threats. It's beneath me. Now, promises…that I can guarantee.'

The General, at a loss, released a breath of defeat and made room for Lex to continue with his inquiries.

'So where are we with the glowman?'

One of the soldiers raised his hand for attention before continuing. 'Though we have some DNA samples, it is impossible to extract an ID out of them, we did however find out what it was— a slight reading of Gamma radiation that intensified when he took down the monorail track.' Then the man's eyes widened. 'Actually it looks like the entire area here was polluted with Gamma radiation which then…dissolved.'

"_Dissolved?_" Luthor echoed. His blood rushed through his heart. _It couldn't be_.

'Actually…the readings were off the charts.'

Then another analyst joined in. 'We've identified traces of three other frequencies of electromagnetic radiation below Gamma—high intensity of X-ray and UV.'

'Do you know anything about this, Luthor?' asked the General, a little suspicious. Luthor's facial expression that managed to change from cool and collected to fearful for a split second then back again, did not escape his notice. He may have been a jock in high school but General Samuel Lane was not an idiot. Spending time with scheming bureaucrats and corrupt politicians had taught him the valuable lesson of knowing where lies are found.

'I'm afraid not, General…though I would believe this man's a danger to society. You might need to check up on the passengers and everyone at reception.' He leapt to one of the secure computers and began to type away. 'I want both specimens found, General.'

General Lane glared at the man. His low regard and respect for the Luthors was fierce. Lionel was a ruthless man, and a man he knew well. They both had ambitions, both of them desired power in one way or another, but Lionel had something that Sam did not—Luthor had money.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**LUTHOR PENTHOUSE, METROPOLIS**_

Knowledge was everything to a Luthor. Their success has owed it to knowing everything about anything— about people, about places or products, and about enemies. Lex remembered his father once taught him that he'll see when he knows his enemies well, when what can be used to scare them scares you as well.

In his close to unlimited archives, Lex Luthor searched. He searched through old newspapers, web articles and police statements. He'd been at it for hours now.

He read the papers, saw the footage. They were calling him 'Superman'. But Luthor didn't trust him, he couldn't. What were this man's motives? Was he really even a man?

Lex suspected he was not. He found himself staring now, not at books but at The Daily Planet newspaper on his desk. The only way to obtain knowledge of this meta-human was from the actual source. He was sure that the reporters there…his in particular, could get to the bottom of this. He could land an interview with the superman.

_Well that takes partial care of Superman…now I have to find this atomic subject_. There was no doubt on who that monster was. They matched the symptoms he'd seen many years ago. Albert Michaels was his name. Lex mentally punched himself. It was clear his callousness had borne him a monster, a radioactive monster to be exact.

_But how did he survive all these years? _

'_Sir_,' he heard the croaky voice coming from the intercom. He picked it up and allowed the woman on the other side to speak. '_We've found him, sir._'

Lex sat himself at his study and poured himself some much needed whisky. He asked her, 'Which one Mercy?'

'_Either way sir, you'll want to be here._'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**KENT FARM, SMALLVILLE -11 YEARS AGO**_

In the early mornings, as the sun rises, Jonathan Kent made it his duty to wake up before everyone else. He'd go downstairs and make breakfast for Martha and then Clark would be up to help him with the first lot of chores around the farm. It was more than a schedule, it was a ritual. It kept him and his family honest.

Jon walked to the fridge to inspect what he had at his disposal. Maybe he could make pancakes and a nice sundae? He smiled at himself. Martha could never resist one of his sundaes.

Jonathan began to wash the plates that he'd use when he spotted his a figure sitting at on the back of his pickup truck in the distance. It was his son, Clark, appeared to be staring out at the morning sun. It was not that that concerned him…no it was that Clark was up at all. It was a Saturday now, he'd usually be sleeping in today. Still, Jonathan guessed that it might have something to do with what happened the day before. He sighed.

He put aside his breakfast plans, grabbed his brown jacket from the coat hanger and made his way outside.

Sometimes Jonathan could not believe it, the things his son was capable of. In the cold air, even with his jacket, he shivered, yet as he approached his son, sitting alone in the freezing winter. Jon realised that his boy was not wearing anything other than a T-shirt and some track-pants, and he was as still as a statue.

Before he even approached Clark's side, he spoke. 'I couldn't sleep last night.' The boy stated absently.

'You've been sitting here all night?' though it sounded like a question, Jonathan suspected he had anyway. 'Is this about yesterday?' If his silence was anything to go by, then it told him that he was quite disturbed and upset by it. 'You wanna talk about it, Clark?'

After some moments of quietly stumbling with words in his head, the fourteen year-old finally spoke. 'I just wanted to help.'

Jonathan sighed. 'I know but we talked about this.' He tried his best not to sound too upset. Clark had never been reckless before. 'Clark…you have to keep that part of yourself a secret…but…' Jonathan took a seat beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Your mother and I are proud of you, son.'

Clark remained quiet and began to stare nervously at his feet. 'I _was_ thinking about it dad…about my secret.' He looked up at his father with teary eyes. 'I hesitated, dad.'

Mr Kent was feeling his own eyes water. He took his son into his arms as he began to break.

'I hesitated, dad. It should have been clear, dad. Save the others or hide my...I should know to save—'

'Oh, son, it's alright.' He held his son tightly, patting his head as his son sobbed into his chest. He was so broken up about it. 'Listen…it is never an easy decision, Clark. Even if you have the ability to, it's never going to be an easy decision. Saving a life is hard, Clark, it's what makes us human.'

Clark looked up at his father, his hero. 'Am I though?'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**FATE'S LAW FIRM,**_

_**TOWN HALL, METROPOLIS **_

The view above Fate's Law Firm was simply divine, almost beyond comparison. Martin could gaze out over the entire Southside of Metropolis. His home was so fragile, so vulnerable. There were too many decent people in Martin Hornigold's reckoning.

'…and it's a done deal, then,' howled Mr Glenmorgan as he poured into a diamond glass a vintage bottle of 2006 Brunello Italian red wine, 'A drink to our success.'

'We're not out of the wood yet, Glen.' Martin rejoined his colleague though refusing the drink he offered.

Glenmorgan grunted, pouring himself another glass. 'You worry too much Martin. I successfully took the spotlight away from your firm didn't I?' He took a heavy sip of the wine—he didn't think he did it properly because it gave him such a bad taste…still alcohol was alcohol. 'My company's gone through all that trouble to wipe clean the shit that you continuously step in. I think we did a good job of it.' Glenmorgan allowed himself to relax, reclining his feet up on the table he yawned.

'I never liked this, Glen.' Martin scowled at his friend, returning to the view. He'd built his entire legal empire from scratch. It had been a dream of his. It was a shame though that he'd had to make a deal with the devil in order to get this view. 'The Luthors are ruthless. We never should have taken that account. There was too much red.'

'Just be thankful that I made sure none of that red spilled on you, esé.' Now Martin was really beginning to sound annoying to him. 'I had to kill a lot of my own people to get you the all-clear. If I find out that it was all for nothing…' Glen got up and marched over to the lawyer. 'I'm going to start forgetting the years of friendship we shared.'

'You're a glorified corporate representative—'

'Se, and I'm also head of the mafia who knocked up a wife of the head of the Mexican Drug Cartel.' Glen laughed, chortled as he boasted his victory. He then sighed once he calmed himself. 'Look, Josh is _my_ son; I'll deal with the trials from now on. Don't concern yourself, my friend.'

After some consideration, Martin complied but before he could allow himself to relax, he saw a figure on the opposite roof a mile or so away. He looked down from his spot. The figure was too small to make out, he was just standing there. But that changed soon enough as the figure moved back a bit and in a run up to the edge jumped off. He leapt so far it looked like he was flying.

_**Holy Shit!**_ The man landed with a crack and loud crash, hurling pavement and the table in his wake. Glenmorgan fled quickly, yelling for his guards to fire at the intruder. Martin was on the ground, eyes wide with shock and fear.

It was him…the man he saw on television.

Martin found himself staring before a tall man in a dark red leather jacket, the S shield on his chest like a discrete beacon. The man had his hands balled into hard fists but it was his eyes that frightened Mr Hornigold the most. Glowing red eyes met his hazy blue. 'You have failed the system, Martin J. Hornigold,' the Superman spoke, his voice deep and angry, 'and you have failed this city!'

**-=O=-**

**-/**_**S**_**UPERMAN**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S DISCLAIMER:**

**I don't own the trademarked property of SUPERMAN. The characters expressed in this fic with the exception of Leanna, Josh Braden, Dr Lerman and Martin Hornigold, belong to DC Comics. **


	9. Journalism's Dead

**Chapter Eight**

**JOURNALISM'S DEAD**

_**FOUR WEEKS EARLIER…**_

'My husband was a good man,' the woman was on the verge of tears now. But it was her seventeen year-old son that soothed her pain. 'He wasn't a perfect man, but he was good to us, to his family.'

Nothing would have pleased Clark more, than to help these people. But all he could do was nod as he heard their story. Mr Christopher Stark was accused of the murder of an African American homeless man, heroin addict, sentenced to life imprisonment at Belle Reve, not for the actual murder but for the gruesome method of doing so. It was a bloody affair, ritualistic in nature, like he was in some sort of cult.

Yet, something had seemed off. Stark was seen as an alcoholic, not mentally deranged. He was a glorified teacher of Law at MetU and a family man. Josh Braden was first to be called in as a suspect but was dismissed after evidence was found against Stark instead.

So now, he left behind his wife, Linda, a son and a daughter.

'I had told the police everything, I told them that my husband was contacted by another man, one of his students who had told him he had evidence to put a man in jail and didn't know what to do with it.' She was distraught and Clark did not want to make things worse, but he had questions. 'Chris isn't a racist, he isn't. He isn't even religious.'

After some more questions, Clark thanked them and with condolences, he took his leave.

At a café at North St, Clark mulled over what he'd learnt. She was meant to be having coffee with the blonde beauty before him, but his mind was too drawn to the case, and to Chris Stark. There was an unknown party to this case…a student at Metropolis University.

'Hello, Earth to Clark?' he was snapped back to reality by Heather's fingers. 'Gosh, you're really messed up by my dilemmas, aren't you?' she said sarcastically raising a brow of concern.

'Sorry, honey…' Clark looked at his cup, the froth had disappeared now. 'I was…I met up with the Starks.'

'Still think that Mr Stark is innocent?'

Clark answered with a definite nod. It was beyond doubt now. He had his suspicions when he interviewed him at Belle Reve last week. The man looked far beyond alright. He had told him that he was doing research for a friend on Joshua Braden but could not find a link. When he asked who the friend was, Chris shook his head. 'I'm sorry, Mr Kent but unless you're the authorities, the right authorities, I can't tell you. It'll endanger lives.'

'I understand, Professor.'

The man shook his head yet again. 'I don't think they'll let people call me that after this.' He looked down at the scratches on the steel tale. 'Even if I am pardoned, reputations are like glass, once you shatter them…there's no putting it back together.'

Back at the café, Clark had vanished, well his mind anyway. But that was sometimes what Heather liked about him. He was a do-gooder, a boy scout, and it was in the act of actually saving her life that they'd even met.

She was walking while arguing on the phone with his editors at the Daily Planet. She had not noticed the change in ground, that she had unknowingly crossed the road into open traffic when big strong arms caught her and reeled her back to safety.

'Wow, you alright there, ma'am?' his husky voice appeared and they both locked eyes. They held each other for a while, before he broke the trance and courteously asked her to join him for some coffee, at this particular café in the corner of North St.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**METROPOLIS**_

Fear, Hornigold was rank with it. Who wouldn't be, when faced with…a monster.

He'd seen the news; he'd seen what this "Man" was capable of, but glowing eyes? Did he fly out here?

'What do you want?!' Martin asked. 'What do you want from me?!'

The Superman was silent, standing over him with a raging anger, his firm gaze cracking Martin's bones. Hornigold crawled backwards and Clark moved forward.

Again, Hornigold asked. 'What do you want from me?!' They continued on inside and into the living room, causing Hornigold to tumble down a flight of winding stairs. He may have broken a nose in the process. 'Please, what do you want from me!'

They both stopped at the foot of a water fountain adorned by a miniaturised version of the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Roman Italy. Still, Clark remained silent as his glare intensified. 'I want justice, Mr Hornigold.'

Justice?

'I don't…I don't…' He stumbling, he could feel it, his heart beating rapidly. Suddenly his own mortality became more evident more. He was not a bad man…he just…he was just addicted to things of questionable legality and even more questionable moral standards too.

But now, in his own suite, his own building he'd bought with blood money. 'Thirteen men and women, innocent people, were thrown into prison for a crime that you've covered up.'

'You don't…you don't know that!'

'Josh Braden's prints were found on the murder weapons, the scene and the bodies.' Clark's fists clenched even tighter. 'I've seen them. I've seen his prints on everything…' he moved closer, 'and yours.'

He paused when he heard the sound of clicking. Guns—around thirty MP7A1 submachine guns, all pointed at him. 'Huh, even if you did see it, freak…no evidence you have will ever see the light of day,' it was that guy—Glen Glenmorgan appeared from amongst his armed men, appearing above them on the balcony. He himself though, was not armed except with that arrogant grin. 'And none will ever see The Superman after tonight, because although you lifted up a train—still a little sceptical—no one is bulletproof.'

'I can't let you do that, sir.' And there was a reason for that. Bullets that hit him had a tendency to ricochet off of him and hit technically anything and anyone. 'Trust me…you're not going to either.'

That did not hinder them one bit. The thing about his job before— was that no one knew he existed, no one above ground that was. In the underworld of crime and scum from all over the world he was known as The Nightwing. They feared the night, feared the man with red eyes.

Glenmorgan was laughing now. He no doubt had heard the legends. His contacts and clients all relayed them with pained breaths. 'I've heard of you, Superman.' He walked down to meet them. 'Or was it Nightwing?' his laughing became more maniacal, but still, he sounded like he was in control still, despite his own behaviour to the contrary. 'Oh how the Crime Syndicate would fall to shame when they find that their ghost, their Nightwing is no more than a mere boy.'

'They said that you stopped an entire squad of our favourite dirty cops—all five hundred of them. But you're not bulletproof, are you. You're just fast.' Glenmorgan then gestured to the men behind him, prepared to pull the trigger. 'Let's see how you do with a thousand rounds firing at you all at once.'

Martin Hornigold stared, open mouthed at his old friend. What he was proposing had left him in a stupor. 'But what about me, Glen?' he required, 'I'm still here. Surely you can't—'

Glenmorgan made the gesture despite his comrade's fears and his men fired. Drats, Clark needed to move fast. It was like time had stopped. But he knew it didn't. The bullets left their cylindrical barrels and sped for them. A dome of silver and fire covered them, but priority's priority and he could not have his only lead dead.

Clark moved fast—faster than the bullets that sped to at him. He covered Hornigold from the shots, as he suspected, the bullets bounced off him like baseballs. They hit at least nine of the shooters. They fell down, crashed with loud thuds and crash on the white tiles.

Clark then spun around and spontaneously, he unleashed his heat vision, on quite a low beam too. His target was obvious—their automatic guns. To the men's most unpleasant surprise, the guns melted in their hands. The smart ones threw them away straight away while the…less intelligent of the lot just screamed out in terror.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

He stood in a sea of bodies…but they weren't dead. No, they were pretty much alive, albeit in mini comas. Hornigold was still in the corner, cowering in a little ball on the ground. The Nightwing walked past him and past the still Glen Glenmorgan, he walked over to Martin Hornigold's desk. With a controlled X-ray frequency emitting from his eyes, he was able to find what he was looking for in one of the desk's hidden compartments.

It was a USB thumb drive. On the base of one side was a tag labelled _Christopher Stark_. But he was out of time. 'This is the MetPD, open the doors or we'll be compelled to use deadly force!'

Clark took the flash drive and then like a bolt of lightning vanished just before the entire vicinity was stormed in by a large squad of Metropolis Police detectives. One of them, a large man of African American decant, his own hair greying, inspected the spacious room around them. 'Quickly, get a couple of ambulances here. Check to see if any of them are alive,' he commanded and several of his officers disappeared out of the door.

Detective Jones still had his gun drawn. He had an itch somewhere at the back of his head, screaming that something was not right. Instinctively, Jones followed his head and moved to the balcony upstairs. _I know you're there_, he whispered to himself. Sure enough, looking over the balcony, on the building opposite it, stood the fabled Superman. Hands by his side he stood tall, eyes piercing and red.

Then in a blink of an eye, he vanished. Detective Jones frowned as he rejoined his squad. He sighed. There would be a lot of paperwork for him that night.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**WATCHTOWER**_

'Well, can you decrypt the file?' Clark asked, looking anticipatively over Lea's head. He watched her fingers move rapidly, her eyes following every line of encryption with unwavering focus.

'Shut up, Clark, I'm trying to concentrate.'

Clark smiled down at her, trying to keep himself from jumping impatiently. He wanted to give her some space to spread her wings freely but he also needed to urge her to increase her pace a bit. This was very important and quite sensitive material he had.

So far they had opened up one file on the thumb-drive and already it was talking about illegal smuggling of drugs and weapons and some overall conspiracy. 'This isn't going to end any quicker, buddy. Just…give me a moment.'

After a while Clark complied and allowed himself to relax. He had a lot of time before the article was due and he would definitely need to hand in the evidence to the authorities and see what transpires before writing anything.

Journalism was very difficult, more so now than before and it more relied upon the fact that information was easily obtained through the internet. Anyone with a phone and a brain to piece together the facts could give the news. But what the Daily Planet had once done was far more than information. In a few days The Planet turned an entire city against one man for the crimes of another. Clark now meant to rectify it.

It was only a few hours of typing before Clark heard the ringing that told them the hacking was done, that the files were now free. What they saw first had them gasp. It was one logo that bound the files up. One symbol that represented a multi-million dollar corporation responsible for half of Metropolis itself.

'Well done, dad,' Lea remarked staring at the stylised _L_ of LexCorp.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

When Albert Michaels made his daily pass through the downtown sewers, minding his usual business, he heard a voice echoing. It was a voice, calling his name. '_Albert_,' it called. It was a voice he was well accustomed to— the voice of a man that incited a hatred and rage within him that used to frighten him. Now however, he welcomed it.

'Where are you, Luthor!' he cried out in rage, smashing everything in front of him. 'Show yourself, you snake!'

He had lived most of his life now, under the city. At first it was in the Industrial District, LexCorp's Cadmus Laboratory. Then when the man infamous throughout the city's underbelly, Nightwing had shown up at the lab, Albert was forced to find shelter elsewhere.

The voice continued to bother him, echoing through the wide sewerage system. Albert furrowed, trying to pinpoint it's origins. 'Show yourself, Luthor!'

The voice chuckled. 'I sense great potential with you, Mr Michaels, but also great anger.'

'Huh, so you remember my name.' Albert was far from impressed. 'Do you also remember what you did to me? What you did to her?!'

'I'm sure I don't know what you mean.'

This raised his rage to extremes and he began to punch the walls around him, his radiation intensified. 'Go to hell, Luthor!'

More chuckling—it grumbled, resonating off the walls like an earthquake. 'Quite right, Mr Michaels,' and then…from the darkness, emerged the devil himself. In this case it was corporate giant Lex Luthor, approaching in a white radiation suit. 'You have an aptitude for observation, Albert.' He stopped a couple of metres away to examine him. 'You are magnificent. You should be thanking me.'

'Thanking you?!'

'Yes, I have given you an opportunity, Mr Michaels…an opportunity to avenge your wife, Mr Michaels.' Albert looked at the billionaire with suspicion. 'You don't seriously believe that I had anything to do with Mrs Michaels' death?'

Albert growled.

'You know who did it, Albert. Gang wars are common, more so around Suicide Slum.' The atomic man walked closer to him, Luthor was cautious and took a few steps to the side. His suit was protecting him well enough but as soon as he reaches Gamma rage, contamination would be inevitable. 'There is a man part of the Glenmorgan Crime Family, a competitor to the Maroni Mafia Family in Gotham. They were the ones that opened fire…it was meant to be at each other—they care little for those in between.'

Michaels glowered at the suited billionaire. He remained silent for a while, looking down at the mucky floor before looking back at Luthor, his helmet cleared way just enough for his face. 'So you want me to take care of them?' he finally asked.

Lex shook his head, 'No, Mr Michaels, you want that. What I need is to make sure they know you did it. Leave at least one or two members of the Glenmorgan and Maroni families still alive.'

'Why not kill them all.'

With a sigh Lex circled him again. 'Because you don't just want to end them, you want to make them suffer.' There was something so calm and collected about Luthor's voice, the way he addressed him. 'Become their tormentor, Mr Michaels…give them justice.'

Against the small voice in his head, a shrinking voice advising him against any association with Lex Luthor, Albert smiled, sharing in Luthor's moment of wickedness. _They would pay_, he thought. _They would all pay!_

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

'Well done, Kent.' Perry White laughed aloud as he patted the young man on the back, his article in Perry's free hand. 'Finally a scoop on that mysterious hero that all of America is talking about.'

Immediately Clark's face fell. That was not the point he intended when he wrote the article. 'Uhm, Mr White, I don't think that that was the angle I was going for.'

'Nonsense, Kent. This is precisely what the public has been looking for.' He sat back down on his desk with the paper and held up a phone. 'I need to tell Bill that we've got out headline for Friday. And Kent…you've got the job.'

Clark was left flabbergasted. He had just entered a very conflicting battle here. His article was about the fact that Martin Hornigold and Glen Glenmorgan were arrested along with Glen's workers. Sufficient evidence provided by The Nightwing or Superman as they had begun calling him online. This meant that everyone that were detained and wrongfully imprisoned would be freed. It had taken many years there. Some of them had been in jail for eight years.

Clark's distress however, did not go unnoticed by the Editor-in-Chief. He sighed, taking off his glasses and throwing them on his desk. 'Look, Clark…I get where you're getting at. I really do. I know that you're an honest kid…a modest one. One with values, virtues and I'm all for that. I mean…I made my first breakthrough with a dissection of the US Defence Force which came with a horrendous confession.' Perry was no longer looking at the strapping young lad before him. In fact he had turned right around where his view now covered East Side Metropolis. The sea from where he was…it was a source of inspiration to him…when he would have to bend the knee every so often. He sighed, almost in defeat. 'Kent, the world has changed. We once thought that people were very suggestive back then…but now we're just too comfortable with not giving a fuck.'

After his short rant, they spent a few moments in silence. Mr White looked up at the setting sun. It looked so beautiful. He'd spent so much of his time at the Planet, a desk job for the remainder of his career. He envied them, his employees, going out there to uncover stories, the stories of Metropolis, of America, of Earth.

Then he caught himself whispering something, a thought that had crossed his mind so many times in the past. It was ever since the start of the war in the Middle-East. 'Journalism's dead Clark and we mourn for her with every good and sincere article of truths printed.'

Soon he dismissed the young man with more appraisals and some instructions. He was not the only one to make it either. Some of his colleagues had written ground-breaking articles. He'd read them… all of them, with enthusiasm.

Clark was shown to his desk next to the corner skyline. Lois showed him the ropes and then he was off again. All of the new recruits were given a few days off to recuperate. Some would use this opportunity to practice their writing and to obtain more of an understanding of Journalism altogether. Clark chuckled at his desk, listening to his colleagues all in their own groups. All of them were chatting about ideas and exchanging hints and tips with each other and their mentors. Journalism, Clark thought, was not dead. It was well enough alive but was just harder to wield and practice.

He turned his attention to his computer and began to download all of the files in his own USB. Not the Hornigold case, but some ideas of other stories he could pursue. It was a big world out there. Each soul had a story to tell and perhaps he would be their chance to tell it.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**BELLE REVE PENITENTIARY  
**_

His name was Christopher Stark. He was a Professor of Law at the University of Metropolis for ten years up until he got that phone call from his close friend concerning his area of expertise. But he was not a cop. He was not a detective. He was a teacher for Christ's sake. Not even a teacher of Criminology or Forensics but of Law.

He was a good man. An Honorable man who just wanted to help a friend and maybe help his entire city.

Stark was left in a pool of blood, his own. He lay there for seven hours before he was found by the guards. His eyes were vacant and as cold as his entire body. His wrists were cut, dangling off the edge of his bed, a single light shone on him.

Professor Stark had killed himself that night. It was assumed that it was of guilt, a killer's remorse. To those who knew him even the inmates, knew that the man was strong. But he loved his family. In his hand was a scrunched up piece of paper- a last minute note and will. He had plenty of money and assets he would give to his family and now without the burden of his imprisonment.

_Dear My Beloved,_

_I have been a fool. I have been a fool my entire life, thinking that if I overlooked my own suffering, just let my anger pass and allow them the time to tread over me, that they'd see a better way. I was a fool and I may have put you on the line. For this I apologise, Linda. _

_I have more than $12,000,000,000 reserved for you. I hope it is enough and that you do not burden yourselves with a costly funeral. Don't mourn me, my love. Mourn the city I have failed._

_Mourn the hope that I have now left to chance. _

_I am done now, Linda, my love, my other half. Take care of the kids. I have left for you all a tape, they allowed it. A last farewell to you all personally. _

_Yours with love, _

_Christopher Reilly Stark._

_P.S. See you all at the other side. I'll be there. I'll be waiting._

**-=O=-**

**Author's Note: Sorry, I did add a few words just to perfect it all.  
**


	10. UFO

**Chapter Nine**

**UNIDENTIFIED FIGHTING OBJECT**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**LEXCORP**_

He was transfixed on the specimen. Luthor held his chin as he inspected the monitors hovering around his work-desk. He watched the Superman stop the train outside his building, watched Salvatore Maroni's bullets deflect off his broad chest like they were foam. Last night he stopped an underground slave ring in Cuba.

Luthor cringed. Something told him that The Superman would soon step outside American jurisdiction and look towards the entire world.

The prospect of that frightened him. If there was no limit to this abnormal being with seemingly unstoppable abilities, then there was no predicting what else 'he' would do. He could not be so sure. Luthor then pulled out a digital file from the holographic monitor to his left marked B.R.P.

Waller had assured me that Belle Reve was impenetrable but the attempted break out four weeks ago had proved a flaw in her planning. He had asked if this Superman was an inmate there but she denied this. Most of her wards were actually aliens awaiting Cadmus for inspection and dissection. It was a terrible prospect but necessary nonetheless.

He paused the screen at a point where Superman was standing up from a pile of rubble, tall and heroically self-righteous stance.

Then there were the humans enhanced through a series of misfortune that resulted in unexplainable abilities beyond that of any normal homo sapien sapiens. These were the majority that they'd discovered.

Metahumans—that was what Stone had called them. Their primary design was human yet they were 'beyond' what was originally planned by God. There was a little girl that had a rare gene in her structure. A 'metagene' that enabled her to create sonic vibrations powerful enough to topple buildings and vehicles was detected at Cadmus Labs by visionary scientist Silas Stone. It was a monumental event, her discovery.

It was something that Luthor had every intention on learning more of. The Human which possessed this biological variant had seemed normal, that was until stress and immense pressure was put on the heart rate that ultimately activated the metagene. For the past few years, Luthor had been searching for more of these biological variants.

Was it possible that The Superman was a metahuman?

Footsteps echoed through the silent air behind him. Lex looked over his shoulder, quick to push the tab that hid his screens, he saw Lea walking across the room, making for the door. 'Later, dad, I'm off.' she said in haste.

'Wait, Leanna.' Lex got off his desk and sprinted ever so gracefully, so collectively towards her. Though she dwarfed her father, just seeing her filled him with a sense of pride…and a sickening awareness. His daughter was growing up. 'I don't…' his tongue began to tie itself. 'I don't suppose we could have…some time together, shall we?'

A slight laugh escaped her sealed mouth at her father's words. 'You alright, dad?'

'It's just…I never get to see you much these days.' Again she laughed knowingly at her dad. She was sure he was not naïve that he'd forget why that was. Luthors were always workaholics. Her mother had said that it was Lex's passion for his work that she found attractive. Lea found it funny that same passion would be instrumental in nearly causing a divorce.

But ultimately they did not.

Lea was still a Luthor by name.

'How about we go for coffee?' he tried again to which she smiled but finally told him she had other plans. Before Luthor could put another word in, his daughter was out the door. The multi-millionaire sighed. The sudden silence hanging over him with a truth he'd realised a while ago.

He'd lost them both.

Suddenly the phone rang. He pressed an icon on his computer desk and up came the image of Dr Laurance Lerman. 'I hope I am not interrupting, Mr Luthor.'

'No, go ahead, I'm free.'

'I was just wondering, considering the new interns are on their way and while I have the chance to ask what you might want done with Subject b1.'

Luthor had almost forgotten about his _Collector_ project, lost in his already busy schedule. He'd grown fascinated with that piece of Government secret that he just had to have a closer look at it. But years and years spent on its study and merely turning it on was a question. Though there were some perks to it. He was able to bring about a technological leap in Metropolis far beyond human capacity, turning Metropolis into the central hub for technological advancements worldwide.

The computerised desk he now used was in result of personally reverse engineered. Up until three weeks ago, the machine was dead. But according to Lerman, with the coming of both The Superman and The Atomic Skull, the machine turned on, even for the briefest of times, it was an opportunity he should not miss. 'I got the readings from those Pentagon workers but operating on b1 is close to impossible by myself.'

'Well you do have interns coming your way,' replied Luthor, sternly. Was this what Lerman had called for? He was the best mind in Metropolis second only to his own. He had given him resources worth millions. But still, he asked—an indication of respect? 'I suggest you use the best of your prodigies and activate the machine again. If the gamma radiation was able to reach you from up here, then I suggest caution when you recreate the conditions.'

Lerman considered this then lowered his head. 'Yes, sir,' He then hung up.

_**LOCATION:**_

_**BENEATH LEX CORP**_

Dr Lerman led his esteemed recruits through the wide passageways illuminated by streams of green light along the walls. He had his iPad out, linked to his entire lab via Lex Luthor's own satellite network, he was able to control every room and project area with it.

His new recruits were all young men and women, fresh out of university and in need of work. He himself reviewed their grades, their strengths and weaknesses in each field of science. He was quite impressed. They were quite a bit better than his last team. Perhaps these youngsters would actually…you know... survive.

'Now, I know you are all quite eager to begin work immediately but this is just a trial period,' Lerman informed them. 'Mr Luthor is looking for the best. He himself a pioneering patron of the arts and sciences, expects a great deal from this division.'

'Then why is it a hundred feet below ground?' they all turned to one of a Caucasian women in the group at the back. She was short with black hair and a fiery look in her eyes. She laid her hands on her waist and a raised brow looking at him with defiance. 'Look I love LexCorp and all that but this is quite weird if you ask me.'

Lerman gave her a defying smile back, almost challengingly. 'Listen Ms…Chang,' he read her nametag. 'Mr Luthor loves science but above all he values the human lives of Metropolis citizens. We have labs all over the world and here in Metropolis is just one of them. Though as a precaution like anywhere else, for safety our experiments and studies will have to take place away from the city in one form or another and away from harm.'

The woman seemed satisfied with this answer and became silent again.

Dr Lerman looked at his watch. He was never quite a patient man. He just couldn't wait to get back to work. Send the recruits home and get back to Subject B1, his jewel. He was so excited. The things he could now learn from the robot now that he had witnessed the robot's activation and might have also identified its fuel source.

By Dr Lerman's insistence the group pushed on down the hallway leading to a bigger passageway housing several rooms along its walls. 'These rooms are your rest areas and restrooms signs are as allocated.' They continued until they reached a great big circular domed room with four pillars holding the skies up. The hall was filled with all kinds of watts and gizmos, every wall had tables with something strange and beeping on them. 'Now here are your work stations,' he said. 'You will be assigned different projects that require your attention. Small projects at first but as you progress you'll begin to understand their full weight.'

Though he had dismissed the intern that spoke out, what he had not realised was that the intern may not have been all that she seemed. Lois Lane had gotten a text message last night from her esteemed Photographer friend, Jimmy Olsen. He was rather blunt about the whole thing as his message read '_Help! Stuck beneath lexcorp building town hall_'.

As expected, Lois took off the next morning with plans on infiltration. She had gotten one of her contacts to hack their classified database and discretely add her alias into the list of interns.

She got to Town Hall at eight in the morning and began her investigations. She had examined closely the blueprints of the structure prior and did not find any irregularities there…obviously. Then at LexCorp she noticed light from a gap between the elevator doors, a beaming light flash lower than one touching ground level would. The blueprints had strictly said that she was already on ground level and that there were no subterranean levels on account of something about a fear of it shared by the CEOs. Thus the parking lot lay in the building opposite.

She followed that trail and garnered herself a lab coat and the ID from her contact and boom…she was in.

All she needed to do now was find Jimmy.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

It was just so exciting. Clark stood in the lobby of LexCorp, white buttoned shirt and tie, and navy blue trousers gave him a feeling that he was actually doing something with his life. He had just entered when he remembered his glasses in his pocket and quickly placed them on.

This was his first assignment. Naturally he would have been with Lois Lane at the moment as she was still needed to show him how contemporary investigative journalism was conducted. Yet Clark looked around and saw no trace of his mentor anywhere.

Clark had never been inside the large and technologically advanced building. Lea had given him descriptions but they were tainted by her bias dislike of her father. Here, just in the lobby, there were holograms, glass monitors the size of apartments, projectors and so many other things he could not begin to describe, he thought he saw an R2-D2 type machine rolling by with a tray of magazines atop its round head.

He saw that they were still in the process of repairing the entrance and glass façade, shattered by him when fighting off Atomic Skull. He did not like it, giving a dangerous criminal such a campy name…well he sort of had a problem with names period. To him it felt like they were not taking these people's heinous crimes seriously, or worse, that they were accepted. He approached one of the workers lifting a plain glass panel. 'Need help there sir?' he offered.

The man frowned at him for a second before putting up a smile but whether or not it was real, Clark could not determine. 'Kid, if it were up to me I'd give you the job entirely. But then I wouldn't get paid.'

He bade the man farewell and walked over to the administrator's desk, passing by a few children chatting about the battle with 'Atomic Skull'.

'Superman could totally beat Skull.' One of the teenagers declared.

The other shook his head, 'Na'ah, you saw the footage, Superman was getting pulverised.' He took a large sip of Coke before continuing their debate.

'That's because Superman wasn't actually trying to kill him,' the first teenage boy countered. 'Every punch was controlled.'

Clark could not wipe the smile on his face. The kid knew—but I wonder if the rest of the world would see that?

The woman at the desk seemed busy on her computer to notice him standing over her patiently. When she did not respond he cleared his throat. 'I'll be with you in just a moment, sir,' she assured.

Somehow Clark doubted that.

Tap, tap, tap, her fingers seemed like a work engine on its own. In all respects the receptionist behaved more like a robot…reminded him of Chloe Sullivan, a student from Smallville High that sometimes hung around Clark's trio of Lana and Pete.

Clark was usually a patient man but he'd been standing there like an idiot for far too long. He cleared his throat a little louder. This seemed to grab her attention but all she did was scowl at him. 'I said that I'll be with you in a moment, sir.'

'That was fifteen minutes ago, ma'am.'

She rolled her eyes and continued her engagement with her computer.

The mild mannered reporter bit his lip trying to remain constraint but man was he steaming. 'I have an appointment with Mr Luthor,' he tried. 'My name is Clark Kent and it's important that I—'

'Are you a CEO, Business Partner, Government or any other organisation Liaison?' she asked to which Clark answered no to all of them. 'Then it really isn't important Mr Clark.'

'It's Kent,' he corrected but she could not care less.

That was when a booming voice came from behind that got even the receptionist could not ignore. 'Clark Kent I presume.' Clark turned and came face to face with none other than multi-billionaire and Corporate Giant Lex Luthor.

Suddenly words had escaped his mind as he fumbled clumsily to shake Luthor's offered hand. 'Hello, Mr Luthor, I'm…I'm Clark Kent—but you already know that…um…yeah, sorry about that…'Clark gave himself a minute to recompose himself while Lex just smiled in slight amusement. 'Sorry. I'm with the Daily Planet and was wondering if I could have a few words.'

Luthor agreed and gestured before him. They headed to some elevators beneath a wide flight of marble stairs. To Clark's surprise, Lea appeared from the compartment and before dashing off to God-Knows-Where, planted a chaste kiss on his cheeks.

Judging from Luthor's look, she got the desired effect at Clark's expense. _Asshole_, Clark thought playfully.

The elevator ride was nothing short than awkward and neither of them could wait to leave it. When they did they both sighed in relief and Lex led him to his office. There were a couple of cushioned seats of black leather standing on a designer rug. Two glasses of water stood atop a table of crystal and metal frames. Lex offered him a seat and the water. Clark hesitated but complied in the end. 'So I take it you are here to cover the news that LexCorp will be working very closely with Gotham's Wayne Enterprise.'

Clark took out his pen and pad and began jotting down notes. 'Yes. It's no rumour that LexCorp or basically Luthors in general have never seen eye to eye with the Wayne family for over a century.'

'Yes well, that was when a Wayne actually run it.' Luthor was so collected. He'd had plenty of practice, his father had insisted on it. 'But when Thomas Wayne stepped down from his throne, though he still owned the shares, he had no interest in the business. I myself got to know this new Wayne Family, they were friends and their tragic deaths struck me hard.'

'Yes, I remember it quite well.' said Clark, softly. He had also remembered meeting their son for the first time after it happened— a very, very depressed little boy. 'And the merger?' Clark continued. 'LexCorp has a firm Government Contract that Wayne Enterprises has had a lot of issues with. Their withdrawal from support of the War in Afghanistan and bi-lateral treaty with Israel has sparked a lot of controversy. Now that you are partners, will that change?'

Almost testing, Lex smiled at him. 'I most certainly hope so, Mr Kent.'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

'Where are you, Jimmy?' Lois whispered loudly into the empty corridors. It was through sheer luck that she was able to ditch her little nerd squad back at that 'Collector Project' or something.

It was a labyrinth, the research facility. She did not know how deep within the ground she was, but judging by how fast the elevator was travelling, pretty damn deep.

'Jimmy, can you hear me?' she called into the darkness. 'Call out to me, Jimmy.'

As she walked down the narrow tunnel, she got a sickening feeling like something was following her. Paranoia was a trait in her household, being raised more in military installations rather than public schools. She could feel hostility was close behind her.

She took out her phone and checked if Jimmy had called or messaged her. So far he did not. Lois groaned, 'Where the fuck are you, kid.' She got to an door on her right, slightly opened to reveal a red room.

She heard a '_psst_' sound from inside. Against her better judgement she moved to investigate, but out of precaution she held her fists balled and ready for a fight.

The room was not the biggest she'd seen down there. The red came from a single light hanging centre of the ceiling. A variety of tools and devices encased in glass drawers aligned the four walls within. There was a table at the far end of the room with some sort of robot asleep on top. She approached the table, did this call her?

'Ms Lane.' A hand grabbed her shoulder and turned her around but to her relief it was not an assailant but a young man with bright red hair. 'Boy am I glad to see you.'

Quickly Lois gave the boy a hug, noticing his coldness. 'Jimmy, thank god I found you.' The boy looked frightened stiff but did not seemed to have any obvious physical damage.

'We need to get out of here, Ms Lane.'

'No kidding, Jimmy.' She took the frightened boy by the arm and led him out of the red room.

They were about to exit the room when…behind them…a ticking sound. Lois feared it was a bomb counting down to their doom, but it sounded metallic.

'Oh, no,' gasped Jimmy, looking over Lois' shoulders. 'The robot—it's waking up.'

_POWER SOURCE ACCEPTED…_the machine's robotic voice echoed around them. They watched, fear gripping their bones as the robot got up from its bed, examining its surroundings—the room and the humans in his presence. It stood up and took a few steps forward. Lois in kind pushed Jimmy behind her and took a few steps back. Lois was not a woman prone to screams…at that moment she dearly wanted to break out of her character. Its eyes, burning violet as it inspected them. But it had no interest in Homo sapiens. The robot looked to the ceiling above it. _INVASIVE SPECIES DETECTED…_

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

The two men sat in silence as a woman came with two cups of Italian coffee on a silver tray. They had discussed most of what Clark had to ask but the interview was far from complete. Soon however, the conversation had geared towards Luthor's late wife. 'She was certainly a beauty, my beloved Lena. Has Leanna mentioned her to you at all?'

Clark thought back for a while but shook his head. 'Not much, only that she died when Lea was young.'

Lex chuckled, probably at the nickname Clark had given his daughter. 'Yes, it was a tragedy that weighs very, very heavy upon my family.' He took a lingering sip of his coffee, his eyes, wandering onto nothing. 'I never told her this, not as much as I should…but I loved her mother.'

'I'm pretty sure she knows, Mr Luthor.'

Again Luthor laughed lightly. 'Mr Kent, the very reason she speaks little of her mother to you is not out of lack of trust in you…but a lack of knowledge of my beloved's worth of her love.'

They spoke some more for ten more minutes and an extra fifteen to further discuss the interview. It was not over as Luthor's agent had requested a full television interview for the Daily Planet News. But then once the interview was done, Lex allowed the conversation to turn to more personal topics.

'So, how is my daughter?'

Clark shrugged. 'Well, Lea's your _daughter_ so shouldn't you have a good idea about her?'

Sarcastically, Lex chuckled. That sarcasm actually put a genuine smile on Clark's face. Such sarcastic tones he often expected from Lea. Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. 'Well, my daughter's life is split into so many personas that I can't keep up.' Clark knew exactly what that felt like, to have so many faces. 'From what I've heard you're her best friend. I want your own personal impressions, Mr Kent.'

He kept his smile. What was there to say? Leanna Luthor was very well reserved. He knew all there was to know about her but in being so he also knew that there were secrets she kept even from him. He never asked. He never minded. 'She's a good friend, a good person, Mr Luthor.'

'Is that all you can tell me?'

Again Clark smiled a large and meaningful smile. 'That's all that matters to me, Mr Luthor.'

-=**O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

Clark walked through the chaos of the morning…well it was just past 3:00pm now. He'd have to get back to the office and turn in his sources. He did not think he was ready to get a by-line yet. There was a lot of work that needed to be done first. So he'll have to give the story to Lois for the time being.

Speaking of which, the only other reason he was even here was because Ms Lane had commanded him there. Naturally Clark assumed it was to help him on his first assignment but that clearly was not the case.

Where was she?

Outside the facility, a lone man shrouded in a familiar overcoat approached the lobby.

An ear-shattering CRASH resonated across the already noisy foyer, halting all movement to a stop as the revolving doors exploded into shards on the floor. Clark could not believe it. The radioactive man was back, but something seemed off about him. He was at full strength—he could feel it even from a hundred yards away. He was glowing furiously. His violet shade screamed a warning that Clark could not ignore.

What did he want?

Clark took a few steps forward, trying to get in front of the people now frozen still. He ran out to try and meet him but Skull threw his coverings, followed by a shock wave of energy that knocked everyone within the vicinity off their feet. As such Clark was thrown away when he tried to catch a woman in front of him. The force threw him all the way back to the elevators behind the stairs.

He diverted his attentions to the woman he'd caught. Her orange hair started to grey before his eyes. She was struggling for breath, gripping his shirt, calling for him to save her. 'It's okay,' Clark tried to reassure her. Her eyes, pried open wide by sheer terror, but they both shared tears as Clark held her close. Her skin paled beyond sick and the veins around her neck started to throb out of her skin unnaturally.

No, no, this can't happen.

With some more laboured breaths, each breath separating more and more until ultimately…she stopped, leaving a corps too unrecognisable from her living body. The radiation was too intense and it's poisoning worked at a rate that made any aid he offered futile. Clark's fists tightened, his eyes filled with fury. _No!_

He tore off his shirt now ripped by the force of impact, revealing a black T-shirt that bore his red emblem.

Superman emerged from the wreckage at the back. He looked around him as he approached the source of radiation. Those still alive were fleeing, screaming and crying, making way to any form of shelter. Superman could not bear it. Over fifty men and women, and children, all of them greyed and some were still in the last processes of their own demise. 'How could you,' he addressed the Atomic Skull. 'They were innocent people.'

'Well I needed to get your attention,' he said. 'You were already here? That is interesting.'

Each stood a few feet away from each other. 'What do you want?'

Atomic Skull seemed unaffected by the gruesome sight he left. He began to advance on him. His hand callously laid to his side, hands facing up and Superman could hear the wavelengths intensifying.

Again, Clark asked him. 'What do you want?!'

'I want a rematch.'

'Why?'

Atomic Skull saw police officers appear around the second level balconies overlooking the lobby. Their guns pointed at the pair of them. There were others trying to help out the little still alive. 'All my life I've lived in fear. I was weak and worthless. Unable to save those I loved…even from my own vanity when I chose to work for Cadmus.' His hands balled up in demonstration of his power. 'But my eyes were opened. I am a source of energy, Superman. Energy runs this planet.'

'Please, man, you're sick. The energy you emitting will ultimately affect the atmosphere's ability to filter.' Clark coolly explained. 'But I can help you.'

'How do you know this?' he asked, finding it a little bit hard to believe him. He was supposed to be an expert in Electromagnetic Science.

Clark tried to smile. But he just couldn't, even to try being swarve and smooth. 'I was top of my class in science and theoretical physics.'

Skull grumbled, possibly his version of a sarcastic chortle. 'Never would have guessed it.'

'Like you never would have guessed what I'm capable of. This will end badly, sir.'

'I'm counting on it,' and with that Skull launched himself at the young man. Clark took the first punch, finding to his shock, the impact was able to send him back a few metres. In a single leap, Skull closed the gap and threw another swooping punch from the left. Clark was able to dodge it and return the attack with as much momentum as possible.

Their exchange continued until Atomic Skull took hold of Clark's throat and hurled him over his shoulder and towards the main entrance.

The repairman from earlier knelt down to avoid the speeding body that flew above him but rose up just as quickly. 'No, no, no, no, no!' He screamed as Clark smashed through his newly fixed glass entrance. Oh his precious work.

On the other side, Clark stumbled out of a ditch his entry had created. He'd hoped for a short reprieve but that was not so as Skull had leapt to the scene, causing more people to scramble away, though Town Hall was far from deserted. Clark readied himself for more battle. He had to analyse his opponent more clearly. Diplomacy was no longer an option, though still open for offer, Clark needed to beat him first.

Atomic Skull had his radiation but he doesn't seem to know how to channel it into a concentrated attack. He could easily kill off everyone in Metropolis just to attempt at hitting him. Clark needed to strike quick, before he has the chance to use Gamma.

'You are weak, Superman,' said Skull. 'I'm going to bash your H—'

Skull was cut off, literally, as the ground below him split open and out shot a fist of iron that landed against Atomic Skull's jaw with great force that Clark could feel it on his cheeks. It sent Skull flying through the window Clark had crashed through. 'Oh, come on!' the repairman bellowed.

In the Skull's place now was a robot of sleek, black metal and purple, glowing eyes. It watched him silently, still. Clark could not trust it, though it did just take out Atomic Skull. 'Ah…thanks for helping me out there—'

'Invasive Anthropoid detected,' it spoke. Clark gazed at it, amazed. 'Contamination—imminent. Collecting Objective—Phase 2 postponed. Quarantine process priority Alpha.' Its armoured skin then began to slide off its body, revealing a skeleton even darker than the plated body. Clark stared into the robotic skull, astonished at its human resemblance. Then it spoke again. 'Scan complete… Access Gene, Kryptonian.' The robot then…launched itself at him. It was flying, Clark gasped. They were a few metres away from each other, it'd have to be.

Still in shock, Clark could not react fast enough to evade the machine's surprisingly powerful uppercut. Its own reflexes were fast as it then punched him in the jaw like it did Atomic Skull, sending Clark a hundred feet into the air.

Holy crap!

There he was, shooting into the blue skies, like he'd always dreamed of doing…too bad the circumstances were not to his favour.

The robot kicked itself off the tar road and flew up to meet him as he descended back to Earth. It took less than Clark ever imagined, meeting eye to eye again. Time seemed to stop and all Clark could do was watch as the robot rose higher and then, with its fists joined and with a mighty BOOM, Clark fell even faster._ This must be how asteroids feel…this must be how my bloody ship felt!_

Clark saw the humanoid machine speeding towards him, its fist in front and aiming at him. The three circles on its forehead began glowing. Clark's eyes then focussed. He would not be defeated like this. With a few seconds before impact, Clark positioned himself to land feet first, he raised his face up to the sky and when he landed, naturally, he left a crater and in the nick of time, he landed his own uppercut to the robotic skeleton's head.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

Pain and agony—that was what Heather felt when she saw the breaking news. She rushed to LexCorp as quickly as she possibly could.

There she saw her boyfriend engaged in a brutal fight with, at first a glowing man that turned people into dust. Then there was this automaton that was as strong as he was. The past few weeks she'd had to learn his ways, things she'd thought she should have known anyway.

It was hard to see him as anything else. He was Superman now, not Clark Kent.

As she was escorted by the police to a safe shelter at the subway, she met up with Lea. 'Hey, what's going on?' she asked out of breath.

Lea shook her head. 'Hey, Heather, I don't know. That skull thing just showed up and attacked.' She looked around her. The crowd of people taken out of possibility of collateral damage swarmed around aimlessly while the cops walked secured the subway entrances. 'I saw more than twenty dead in there.'

'And now?'

She looked at her, uncertainly. Heather knew she'd have secrets to hide. She could urge for them but thought better against them. Leanna stared at her for another moment before sighing. 'Fine, I'll explain it all at headquarters.' She walked off to one of the cops, leaving Heather at the entrance, the sound of battle above.

'You guys have a headquarters?'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

The robot's feet slid back against the concrete. Its eyes and forehead glowing…transmitting. It observed the Invasive Species before it, looking through its immense archives, scanning and matching DNA strands. It had detected them and put into account the circumstances they were in—under a young and yellow sun.

It then looked behind him— the amount of radiation as astronomical. 'Access alternative Homo Sapiens Mutation,' it vroomed.

The drone raised its hand to the Invasive Anthropoid, Electromagnetic Frequency past Gamma. But just as it was ready to release the beam, Clark raced to the arm, grabbed it and with his leg pushing, ripped the whole arm off. He then took hold of the drone's neck and stared down at its glowing violet orbs.

'Transmission Compl—' Clark released intensified leasers from his eyes straight into the drone's and right through its metallic head.

The robotic skeleton was reduced to ruin, falling into a heap on the concrete. Superman stood over it, eyes still blazing. 'Transmission over.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

**Author's Note:**

**I am not entirely sure what inspired this chapter. I was watching mostly the Fleischer cartoons when I wrote it. You know—beginning, middle and end, clear cut, almost no relation to the previous shorts. That was really my earliest exposure to Superman and in extension comics. **


	11. Higher Form of Play

**Chapter Ten**

**HIGHER FORM OF PLAY**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**WATCHTOWER**_

Clark watched the big screen that descended from the ceiling above. The LexCorp logo animated to spinning clockwise in a sort of trance. He then looked at Lea's monitor which was more just a black screen with coloured text that continued to expand and change with the countless lines of code.

'Want to answer some questions, Lea?' Lea groaned at the reminder. She chose, often times when Clark began to get a little annoying, to just ignore him. He'll get the gist of it in a few seconds. This time it was Clark's turn to sigh. 'Fine, you're in a mood.'

A clanking noise rang through the room, grabbing their attention—Lea's only for a second before she was hacking again. 'So this is where you guys hang out and save the world?'

'Careful, Heather, that stuff on Clark's table are radioactive samples from earlier,' Lea cautioned.

Heather took a last look at the metal alloys and wasted no time in replacing them back onto the table. She felt so out of place there. This one domed chamber, an astronomy tower in the edge of town by the harbour. All of the gadgets and equipment making funny noises…it all looked alien to her.

She walked over to Clark whom offered a sympathetic smile. She snuck her hand in his and joined him in just simply watching Lea's awesome hacking skills.

'What is all this stuff?'

With a wide grin Clark led his girlfriend away from the computers. There was a metal platform running along the dome above, adorned in colourful glass mosaics depicting Jesus' resurrection. The couple walked around, looking at the art. 'We started this venture a while ago. I had actually already begun by University, right after I got back from the Near-East.'

'Why?'

'Why did start being a vigilante?'

She nodded, though correcting him by simply calling it _helping_. Clark did not seem to have a definite answer, or at least one he could word to her.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**SMALLVILLE, **_

Things change, no one was more privy to that than Clark. He watched Pete play that day, he played brilliantly as always. It was only practice, but Clark saw the team's focus. There was no way Gotham High would beat them this year.

The cheerleading squad were also doing well. He watched Lana lead the rest, a smile on her face, she seemed so happy when she danced, when she cheered, and she was a natural at it as well.

So what was eighteen year-old Clark Kent doing?

He had just finished filling the last of the styrofoam cups with Isotonic drinks. That's right, Clark Kent, straight A student and nerd king at Smallville High was the water-boy for the team while all of his friends—Pete Ross, Lana Lang, had moved up in life. They were both popular now. Adored by the school and desired by everyone else.

'Hey, Kent, I want all of these uniforms and equipment washed and ready for the game tomorrow,' the coach roared as he passed by. Clark simply nodded and moved to the piles of clothing on the benches.

While stuffing the dirty laundry into a grey sack, he had not realised that he'd been staring at Lana for the past few minutes. Brad had though and while passing him, purposely shoved his shoulder aside. 'Watch it Kent.'

Clark sighed and ignored him, he continued on with his task and tried not to look at his friends on the field.

It hurt sometimes, to see his friends had outgrown him.

'Hi,' Clark was startled by a hand on his shoulder causing him to turn around. It was Lana, smiling up at him. 'Listen, Clark, a bunch of us are heading into town, hang out at Mrs Brown's Café. Do you wanna come?'

For the first time that day, Clark smiled back at her, 'Ah…sure, Lana. I'd love to come.'

'Hold on there, Kent, you can't come, you got a lot of work to do.' Brad Fordham appeared beside her, hands crossed over his chest, trying his best to out-tough him. Brad and Lana had begun dating a few years ago. If he wasn't mistaken it was a week after she joined the cheerleading squad.

'What are you talking about, I just finished stacking all the—' Clark wasn't even able to finish his defence. Brad took the sack from his hands and threw it down onto the stacked up equipment on the row below them. Clark clenched his fists. He was way past angry…but that look Lana gave him was a reminder of his old days, when they were friends. He sighed and allowed himself to relax.

But there was no way he was letting Brad get the last word…

In a little more than a blink of an eye, the work was done. He restacked the equipment in a way that knocking them over seemed useless. The water tank was ready for storage and the jerseys folded. But Lana and the group…including Pete had already hit the road. Pete and his girlfriend had his Lexus sports car while Brad, Lana and her girlfriends had his Lambo. They were fast, very fast…Clark grinned. They were nowhere near as fast as he was.

Like a cheetah in a field, Clark sped down the dusty road past fields upon fields of golden crops. Faster than any speeding bullet, he raced. Then…turning left into the Harrison's Corn field, Clark sped up, he had tried this before and at just the right speed he leapt into the air.

Oh how he loved that feeling. The fresh air, rushing past his face, even if it was for a few seconds, it was best he'd ever left. He could feel the warmth of the sun, its rays shining in the distance. He was so close to it.

Clark landed with a thud but continued to run, speeding up again and then off he kicked. It felt almost as if he was flying, suspended in mid-air, felt like he could soar through the sky forever. This was the life—this was what kept him going. Even when it seemed like bringing him down…This was how he saw the world—even for a moment…he saw it from the skies above.

In the end it took less than an hour to get back home, in the middle of the road.

When Brad drove his car past the Kent Farm, he was more than surprised to see Clark Kent already by a tractor, leaning against the giant wheel with his arms folded and a smug smile upon his face. 'How'd you get here so fast?' he quizzed.

Clark shrugged. 'I ran,' he answered simply. Lana was giving him a knowing grin, shaking her head in a cross between amused and disapproval.

'See, Lana, told you he was an odd-ball, let's get outta here.' With a final wink from Clark, Brad sped off as fast as he could. Clark saw a glimmer of recognition in his eyes. Repressed memory, maybe? All-in-all, Clark found himself alone once again.

A man that Clark had overlooked had been working on the tractor's engine behind him. 'Been doing a bit of showing off there, eh, son?'

The boy stammered, straightening his back as he faced his father. Though he didn't seem angry, he looked less than pleased. He waited as Jonathan wiped his hands of oil and grease on an old towel. Clark cleared his throat, 'Oh…I'm sorry, Pa.' He walked over to his father who held the engine flap open for Clark to help him out with. 'I didn't mean to show off.' He tightened a screw with his hands and Jonathan pointed at more around the piston. 'It's just that… guys like Brad I just want to tear them apart.'

Jonathan sighed inwardly. 'I know.'

Clark paused, feeling quite ashamed of himself, 'I know I shouldn't.'

'Yeah, I know. You can do all these amazing things and sometimes you think that you would just go bust unless you can tell people about 'em.'

They chuckled. Clark could always count on Pa to know him. 'I mean is it really showing off if somebody's doing the things he's capable of doing? Is a bird showing off when it flies? I mean, every time I kick the football I can make the touchdown, every time, Pa!'

Jonathan shook his head, patting his son on the shoulder. They closed the tractor engine's hatch and Jon led him back to the house. 'No, Clark. Now you listen to me. When your mother and I found you…we were afraid.' He looked his son in the eyes, saw the confusion in them. 'We were afraid that when people found out, you know, all the things you could do…that they'd take you away…treat you like some sort of experiment. You have to understand, Clark, that what we do won't just affect us but the people around us in very different ways.'

'They'll be afraid of me?' Jon shrugged but then nodded. It was always a fear that Clark had at times wondered. Perhaps one day he'd understand. Perhaps that day even. 'Why?'

Jon didn't have a definite answer. Not really. They'd always had to guess and try their best when it came to raising their son. 'People…people are afraid, Clark. We're afraid of things that we don't understand. It's human instinct. But then a man gets older and he starts seeing the world in a different light.' He looked at his son and just marvelled at how much he'd grown. He was proud, like any proud father would be when it came to his children. 'Things become clear and one thing I do know, son, and that is that you are here for a reason…and somewhere out there, whatever the reason is…' He chuckled at his own loss for the proper words. 'Maybe it's…uh…I don't know. But what I do know is that,' he patted his son's shoulder gently. 'It's not to score touchdowns.'

The young Clark turned scarlet a little and nodded. 'Thanks dad.'

'Come on, son,' he said with a wide smile on his bearded face. 'Let's go pick up your mom.' He led him to the truck and got in, 'She's at the warehouse in town.' They drove off away from the house and a few miles towards town, completely unaware of the dark clouds that formed before them. People usually were.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

'…Everything I am is because of my parents.' Heather followed his gaze, occasionally sneaking glances at his pensive expression. 'My father…always told me that regardless of what we believe in, which faith we follow or choose not to belong to, we all have a purpose. Finding it out is what drives us forwards.'

Heather was about to comment on that, but was interrupted by Lea, calling from her workstation. 'Clark, heads up, we got a robbery in progress at a military installation in South-end Metropolis.'

Clark glanced at Heather, both sharing a knowing smile. He looked back at Lea still waiting for a response, 'Details?'

'Unknown assailants, the objective is a crate about two metres by three. Vehicle is…' She paused, her eyes furrowing at one of the words on her computer. 'It's a tank?'

He looks back at Heather, an uncertain, puzzled look evident on her pale face. 'This is why I do what I do.' Clark went down and to his jacket. There was something about wearing that thing that made Clark seem different. Heather could not place it but it was there. His posture? He seemed taller, back straightened. His confidence was on a level she'd never seen before. Was this who the ever mysterious Clark Kent was?

'Good luck out there, babe.'

Clark gave her a cheeky, unClark-like wink and then he was gone. Heather released a breath she had been holding. Her heart was beginning to speed up.

In the meantime, Clark had leapt from one roof to another. He took long strides, skipping every second building or skyscraper, but then stopped at a tall building a few blocks away from the installation that resided just outside urban areas. There Clark listened. The tank had not taken any routs towards the city. Clark was relieved by that fact. He did not want a repeat of earlier.

The tank seemed to be headed further south. From atop the building he could spot the moving weapon heading down the road…no, wait. They turned…they were heading for the docks…back into the city. In the line of its destruction were a few apartments.

He could hear them…their cheering and laughing, unaware of the destruction heading their way.

Whoosh!

Clark's speed was never really timed. He never really bothered before. But at that moment, he was pushing his limits…he was close to sweating.

He landed just outside the apartments. A great big, vehicle, unlike any army tank he'd ever seen before. It was not just big, it was fast and agile. It manoeuvred past pillars that held up the North/South link above but did not show any signs of slowing down or turning to avoid the building.

Clark stood still, he saw a man with grocery bags in each arm, attempting to get inside the block. Clark gave him a quick warning about the tank yet still he ran inside, yelling that he needed to get his wife out.

'Warn everyone else inside,' he commanded. 'Get them out!' Clark would have settled for that but after seeing the tank smashing through the streets, crushing cars and bikes like they were nothing, Clark ran inside. He opened every door to every apartment and ordered everybody out, helping those with young children with them.

He could hear the armoured tank approaching. He needed to hurry. The situation was getting out of hand. The chaos he had escorted outside was still in his ears but he'd need to shut it all out before he could continue his job.

The banging and crashing accompanied by some screams drove Clark's speed for him. He could not have a repeat of Atomic Skull. The sun was setting now. Around seven pm on the horizon. Clark had just gotten to the fourth floor when he heard a _**BOOM!**_

Out of nowhere, an explosion ripped through the walls in front of him and sent him bulleting up. It was the tank…it shot at him. Still conscious, Clark opened his eyes. This was the second time that day he was privileged with the sight of the clouds, now glowing orange. He was also able to see, from the sky, the tank by the apartment…being attacked?

A figure…a woman had gotten on top of the moving metal car, a sword in her hand as she slashed through the impenetrable alloy. She was strong… but to his horror, the warrior woman began grabbing the terrorists inside…Koreans if he was not mistaken. And they screamed…how they screamed when she slashed at their throats.

Not even thinking of his course of action, Clark kicked the air, shooting him across the clouds and back onto Earth with a thunderous smash that cratered the road. 'What have you done!' Clark shouted at the female swordsman. She waves her long and black hair away from her eyes, her hands still holding onto the headless body of one of the Korean terrorists.

'I've done my duty.' She replied with force behind her words, 'Which is more than I could say for you, Son of Heracles!'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**EARTH'S ORBITING MOON**_

There is a part of the moon, hidden away from human eyes. The dark side of the moon they called it. The moon rotates on its axis in the same rotational direction as the planet it orbited since time in memorial. It spins in this same direction in 29.5 days which is also the same number of Earth days that it takes the Moon to actually orbit Earth.

In this, the same side of the Moon will always face Earth, and the other side, hidden behind darkness. Veiled by shadows, this sector of unexplored territory hid a secret that puzzled even those who kept it. When the new frontier was declared by US President John F. Kennedy in 1960, they launched a handful of explorers into outer space nine years later. The first destination was to the moon.

Believe what you want, but when the astronauts landed they did more than the world was led to believe. They found more than they were willing to share. Several scientists where launched with them, the Americans. Their agenda was clear to them, yet there were many smaller details that went in to its completion.

Representatives of some of the nations in the UN had touched onto the darkest sector of the natural satellite that orbited their home.

What they found…frightened them to the core.

'What is that?' they all turned to their leader.

Julian Luthor looked on in amazement. He was the only one of his group to have shown no fear whatsoever. He looked at the giant pyramid, still hovering in mid-air in the asteroid-like, rocky valley It appeared as if it was locked in battle. 'That, my friends…is what we came for.'

There were flashes of green around it, small green dots roaming around the pyramid followed by explosions. Luthor motioned his men down and they watched in gasped silence. They were…people, well at least one of them appeared to be a man, accompanied by a group of other creatures, humanoid for the most part, all glowing emerald as they shot light out of their hands, hitting the pyramid until something shot out of the structure's edges at the bottom. Some sort of anchor, it reeled the structure into the ground.

'We need to report this back to Earth,' the representative of Australia reminded. 'This can't be good.'

The battle seemed to have stopped and the glowing green aliens disappeared from sight, into the darkness of space. Luthor shook his head at his colleague's request. 'We report this to no one but a selected few. Keep it in the UN. The world is not ready for this information…' he looked back at the four-sided, equilateral pyramid. This was going to change everything, '…not yet.'

Inside the megastructure, clearly larger than the pyramids in Giza, there was a form…a man, seated upon a throne of metal. In the year 2014 that man stayed there, motionless. Signs of battle were evident around him.

He seemed by all accounts…dead.

But that all changed when a distress signal was triggered on the many computers at his disposal. The sudden burst of energy current had shocked his eyes open and in a large exhale of breath, denied for decades.

It takes less than a microsecond for the creature to re-establish his bearings. For him, it had been a blink of an eye. But the implications could not be looked over. The Guardians of the Universe had sought to stop him, but they unknowingly failed.

He looked to his side, at a monitor that depicted a last minute transmission from Earth. One of his drones he had sent many years prior had finally made contact.

The creature noticed the cables running through the three sockets on his forehead. His automatic systems were at the moment non-functional. He ripped the cables off of him and carefully stood up from his chair.

It was dark, wires and cables ran across his control room in chaotic patterns. He really didn't do chaotic. He grumbles, they echo in the ship's emptiness. His eyes scan the monitor from where he stood, _an_ _Invasive Intelligence…on Earth?_ The creature stared at it. Emotions of any kind were absent from his eyes. 'Interesting,' he noted.

* * *

**-=S=-**


	12. Warrior Within

**Chapter Eleven**

**WARRIOR WITHIN**

Clark was struggling to keep himself calm. It was quite difficult when your opponent had just ripped a man's head off of his body. She was holding it right now, holding the body…how could she be so calm…she was clearly a cold blooded killer.

He needed to isolate her from the other man and detain him after.

'Look…just put the weapon down.' Clark tried to reason with her, telling her that they should try to be civilised.

The warrior simply let the body drop from her grasp and she leapt off of the tank. 'Oh you spawn of Heracles…always brawn and no brains.'

Spawn of Heracles?

Clark cleared his throat. 'I…uh…I don't know what's going on here, ma'am but you have just murdered that man—'

'Again I reprimand you for your lack of competence in this situation.' The girl stood before him, her hands in a fist as she placed her sword in a sheath attached to her left leg. She was a rather masculine woman that did not sacrifice a curvaceous feminine body, leather chest piece of maroon with platinum breast-plate rim in the shape of an eagle and bracers on her forearm, possibly of the same material. Her attire resembled more a Hoplite of ancient Greece, with the addition of some sort of rope, gilded was attached to her silver belt. 'But seeing as you are here, you can give me the location of Heracles, your father.'

'Honestly, lady I have no clue what you're talking about—'

The warrior woman sprang on him, nailing him against the wall behind him. 'I won't ask again, bastard!'

'Hey,' Clark spat back, 'easy on the name-calling.'

The woman made a face of disgust. 'Pathetic,' she then made to punch him square in the face. She seemed to be enjoying it. She definitely knew what he was capable of. That punch could puncture a hole in a cargo ship. She was just about to punch him but Clark intercepted her strike. 'Find your strength, there, bastard?'

'That's enough!' Clark's eyes began to gleam red as he shoved her off of him.

The dark haired woman growled or rather a fierce laugh like a wild dog. 'Fight me, son of Heracles.' She drew out her short-blade and positioned herself. Her beautiful and tanned face held eyes of dark lavender, they glared at him yet she had an enticing smile…deceptive and she knew it.

'Trust me, lady…you would not want to try anything.'

Again…he was interrupted by her fist to his face, sending him flying back through the building and off a few miles. 'That's it!' Clark did not know how it happened. At first he was scrapping out of a pile of rubble, next he flew straight through the hole in the apartment at Mach 5 speed. He managed to lay a fist against her own face, throwing her all the way to the docks.

Next, Clark jumped on top of the tank. The other terrorist, clad in black Kevlar and army-wear, tried to scuffle off the tank but one look at the furry eyed creature and he had his hands up in surrender. 'Please,' he pleaded in an accent that was quite broken. His eyes landed on his comrade, in a headless mess on the ground. 'I give up…do not kill me.'

His eyes grew in furry and his voice fell to a growl. 'You will stay here until the police arrive. If you leave…I will find you again.'

The young man bobbed his head in compliance. 'Nightwing, do you copy?' Leanna's voice appeared in his head.

'Loud and clear, Watchtower,' he checked in.

'Sorry, dude, but your communicator sort of went offline for a moment.' There was more muffling from the other side before her voice became clear again. 'What the hell was that?'

Despite knowing she would not see, Clark shrugged. 'I have no idea, Lea. But man she packs a wallop.' He held his hand on his jaw, still a little sore from the warrior's punch. 'Stand-by and watch my back.'

'I know but uh…Clark about that other dude—'

'Not now, Lea, I think I see her moving.'

Nightwing left the scene for his adversary at the docks. She lay on a bed of ruined cargo containers. Her head spinning, her eyes dazed but she was still alive, and soon they became filled with rage, especially her opponent appeared.

Clark did not really expect her to stand down…only a few minutes in her company and he could already read her. Heavily military mind, when she flew out to strike at him he realised she was quick. Her stance reminded him of one he'd seen in that film Troy. Not really a good reference but still, she was quick and agile, she also saw his every moves almost before he'd actually enacted them.

He though, was able to sneak a few hits of his own. He intercepted a blow, holding her striking hand open and hit her around her right rib area. 'Argh, _Hera_!' she groaned but did not slow.

'I said enough!' Again she interrupted him with a sucker punch and found himself crashing through a window of an empty old warehouse a few miles away. It was dark and musky and before he even had a time to stand and process his surroundings, the warrior woman flew in, shattering her own entrance and began swinging her sword.

With quicker reflexes, Clark dodged every strike by mere millimetres. At first he thought that the blade would just shatter against his skin. It made contact but had no effect whatsoever on the metal. The sword was as strong and solid as it was before. The warrior didn't seem surprised at all and she kept at it.

It was useless. She was a machine, didn't look like she was going to tire. Clark furrowed. 'What do you want?!'

She probably noticed Clark lower his guard a little and caught him by the neck and held him against the wall behind him. 'You will reveal the location of your father, Son of Heracles!'

Acting on impulse, Clark set his gaze ablaze before him. The dark haired woman flew back seven metres, holding the side of her neck which was now bleeding. Clark advanced with his glowing eyes. 'I said enough!' She made a last move at him but Clark caught her blade and sent it out of her hand and sent it into the steel wall. Lea was yelling in his ear, telling him not to engage and retreat but Clark decided to ignore her. 'Stand down, warrior, and see reason.'

'Why should I, abomination!'

Clark cringed. How dare she! 'I am not the enemy!'

They became engaged in a staring competition when the silence was broken, rudely by footsteps, echoing in the great warehouse. 'We are all enemies…' they turned to see…the man from before, the terrorist that the warrior had so proudly decapitated. He was still alive?!

'Wow…what the heck is going on here?' Clark burst, his attentions now directly turned to this…zombie. It was that same man only, he seemed paler and the fact he was actually holding his head beneath his arm like a helmet.

The man spoke again, his voice low like a growl. His voice seemed disproportionate to the small body that sourced it. 'You believe that you are beyond reproach…princess.'

It seemed like Clark was just tossed to the side now as the warrior whom he had been engaged in a not so friendly brawl to the death, had turned all of her attention to the headless man. Though Clark had to admit the man…or whatever it was had his full attention as well.

'You believe that your oath to protect gives you importance…' he then placed his head back on and just like that it was brand new. If Clark wasn't confused before…he certainly was now. Things were getting way too complicated, way too quickly. It was ridiculous and he wondered what to do to slow things down a notch.

Then, the man flexed his arm and…an extra bone from his hand. He was holding it like a sword. 'Not a good sign then, I take it.'

'Silence, fool,' the brunette derided, she glared back at Clark and without further ado, she leapt forward prompting to strike her enemy first. The former Korean Terrorist blocked her attacks but to its surprise did not foresee Clark's jab to the man's torso.

They watched the Kevlar wearing terrorist thrown to the other side of the empty building. For some reason, Clark looked to the warrior beside him. She did the same but this time offered him what he assumed was her version of an approving smile and nod.

The terrorist leapt from his hole, aiming for them but the woman met him first, with a rain of punches and smashed the hell out of that thing. It made Clark wonder if she was holding back when they were fighting. Made him shudder what would happen if neither of them was held back by something or rather. It also had him question on what the heck she actually was. For a moment he had considered she might be of his race…perhaps.

She had the terrorist pinned down and began smashing his face.** Bang! Bang!** **Bang!** Went her fists, followed by the crushing sound of bones. She growled, 'Got you now, vlakas!' She seemed to be struggling with that, 'Argh, sihama!'

Clark dashed to her side and helped pin it against the concrete floor. But the creature had not become unconscious yet. He was sure slowing down but this possessed man still had fight. He pushed the two super powered beings with the souls of his feet, sending them to the opposite end. Clark heard the warrior swear again in Greek. Clark looks to her, 'I have an idea,' he tells her. 'Get ready.'

With that, Clark leaps forward, closing the gap between him and the man and held him by the collar before hurling him toward the ceiling. The warrior did not need any instructions. She flew half way and with that rope…a lasso, she cast it around the possessed terrorist and pulled hard. Casting him hard onto the concrete and it shattered. But she was not done, as she then threw the man around her and smashed it some more times around the warehouse with Clark just beating him as he passed, helplessly attached to the rope.

Then, after a while, it was done. The possession passed. How they knew? Well there was a huge rumble and an actual soul or demon or whatever it was escaped from the man's open mouth and with a shriek, the transparently blue ghost was gone.

Nothing could explain to him what had just happened—and this coming from an alien!

Instead the man now was moaning and screaming, holding his head and cradling his knees in a foetal positon on the floor. 'What's wrong with him?'

'I believe his body is a little slow and is reacting to actually having his head separate from his body.' It shocked Clark how cool and collected she sounded when she talked about murdering someone. Though he did suspect she'd already expected the possession.

'What the hell was that?' Clark asked rounding on her but was met by cold stares.

'I will be asking the questions, scum!' she held him against the wall, taking the same position she had before that possessed dude showed up. 'As I said…where is Heracles?'

Clark kept shaking his head at her questioning, denying anything. 'I told you, I know nothing about Sons of Heracles or whatnot, in fact the only Heracles I know is from Greek Mythology I had to study in Philosophy class!'

The warrior did not seem to buy it, so he elaborated. He told her that as far as what he knew he was, he said he was an alien…someone from the stars above seeing as she seemed even lost with the mention of the word "_alien_". Clark found that quite intriguing but then again, she did seem like a woman that wasn't quite from around here. The question was from where?

'So what do we do with him?'

The Warrior Woman shrugged. 'He will be feeling this agony for quite some time…maybe until sunset tomorrow. I could try knocking him unconscious for a while?'

Clark shook his head furiously and told her that it wouldn't be necessary. 'I'll get him to a hospital and have him on suicide watch just in case.'

'Suit yourself.'

They both made their way to the tank, still in one piece except for the hatch which was ripped off. The woman then hovered up onto the vehicle from within she produced a big wooden crate. 'What are you doing?' Clark questioned.

'Are you not a little bit curious as to what must be so important that it is worth stealing from your military but not important enough to place in your fortresses of high security?'

That was true and it had actually bugged him on his way down there but well, he'd expel them as paranoia. Sure, it was quite strange that foreign terrorists had infiltrated a US army base in the Metropolis district. Surely something of import would have ended up at the Pentagon under more surveillance and guard. 'Perhaps it did and was moved here for observation,' Clark offered. He was a little iffy but ultimately he wanted to know what it was just as much.

So Clark was by her side when she removed the lid. Strange. The crate was wooden, correct, but there was lead framing inside that encompassed straw. It cushioned…some sort of rock.

'Okay…this is…underwhelming,' Clark remarked. There was a slight irritation in his ear, a little annoying but not as annoying as the disappointment of the cargo. It sort of reminded him of that incident with Al Capone's Vault.

The Warrior shook his head. 'Now this does not make sense.' She picked up the strange rock, a little green in places. Some sort of jade. When Clark touched it, it felt hot…felt a bit like Gamma radiation. This was certainly not a good thing. He took a few steps away, especially when he heard the sirens rolling in.

'Okay, I think we better go before we get questioned.'

On the rooftops they dashed. Clark ran and leapt from building to building while the black haired woman simply flew. To tell the truth, Clark was quite jealous of that, thought to tell the truth, he had felt as though he himself were flying, or at least where he was defying gravity.

He'll have to test that someday.

He looked to his right at the attractive Greek woman. She was quite intriguing but he could not quite pinpoint what his fascination was. 'My name's Clark by the way.' She just remained silent—in fact she if anything, her face hardened. She looked mildly displeased. Maybe "_Clark_" was a swear word in Greek?

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

The world was getting bigger…Luthor's only fear was that it would get too big, too big for order and control to maintain. He used to have nightmares about that—a world without order, wreathed in flame and chaos. His nine year-old self, standing in a street, rumbling in the fires, men and women living in misery. Lionel had always told him that mankind was limited in a way that made it so easy to manipulate.

'We are a base species, far more so than animals,' he had once told him when they were at an international science conference in Geneva. 'We are disunited by nature, we fight amongst ourselves over land and power just like animals do…The only difference, son, is that we also have religion to fight over as well. We're by nature…selfish beings.'

Innocently, Lex looked up at his father, a man so tall he blocked the lights whenever the man addressed him. 'But what about mom?' he asked. 'She's good…she helps people in the city.'

Lionel ignored him and continued to flick through his reports. Lex shook his head and stared out the window of the private jet they owned. Once the clouds passed, there before his very eyes was laid out the entire city of Metropolis. _His_ home. He immediately thought of the people his mother had tried to help—the homeless, the sick and infected, displaced and so many others that needed the attention of people with the means. It needed people that could make a difference to the world…_his_ world. So far it had only his mother.

Lex was brought out of his time bubble and back to in his office…his empty and cold office with a first class view of his city. He sighs. 'She wasn't enough.'

A ringing sounded the phone on his desk. His assistant Mercy Graves had informed him that a pack of reporters from various news channels were waiting for him at the conference hall. Lex felt like banging his head on the glass desk. He knew exactly why they were here.

'Of all the time Project b1 wanted to activate it had to pick today. Then there was Albert Michaels…what was he thinking?' Luthor gave him free reign of his facilities with promises of vengeance in due time but the man had always been impatient. And where was his daughter?

So far he had reactivated the tracer implanted in her phone, but knowing her she had probably already located it and made short work on removing the infernal device. Just thinking about it gave him a small semblance of pride, though not entirely overshadowing his annoyance.

Thus…like any good CEO…like any good leader, he marched, devoid of shame and melancholy—to face the enemy.

When he entered the conference hall at the top of LexCorp, he was not surprised to be under fire, camera flashed from every direction. Accompanying those flashes were ear-numbing screeching. Oh how he hated the media, mainly when he was not in control.

'…Mr Luthor, Mr Luthor, any comments on the Atomic Skull attack?' one of the reporters from the Inquisitor inquired.

Luthor tried to recommend patience, but was then cut off by more questioning. Questions like 'What was that robot?' or 'is the Superman working with your company seeing as he's appeared in both scenes to defend your building?'

'How much is the rebuilding going to cost?' asked one of the reporters. 'Is Superman going to help in the repairs?'

Lex had just stepped onto the podium, in front of the masses, the many faces he couldn't trust all expecting trusted answers. But for full disclosure, Lex was quite interested to know that himself. He saw Mercy Graves standing in the corner on his right. He discretely called for her attention to listen in on the earpiece. 'Try to see if you could arrange a meeting with this Superman.' He watched her head nod slightly and from the side exit, she disappeared.

He sighed, trying to ignore the blinding flashes, truth's dirty light. This was going to be a very, very long session and he dreaded the outcome of it all.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**INNER-WEST METROPOLIS**_

They were staring at them. Eyes and mouths wide open, it would have been a fear come true if it weren't for the fact that he was not the source of the weirdness that stole their attention. Clark walked, feeling quite awkwardly beside a beautiful and clad warrior woman. Thus most of the onlookers staring like dummies were in fact men.

Clark however was simply plain. That normal was all wrapped in a large overcoat his dad had once worn when he first visited Metropolis.

'Uhm…Ma'am, shouldn't you…' Clark definitely wanted to avoid offending her further but it had to be said. 'Uhm…shouldn't you dress in more…conspicuous attire?'

The woman froze and stared at him rather incredulously but said nothing.

The mild-mannered sighed, 'Okay, fine…what about we go somewhere with fewer eyes?'

Thus they made it to the bridge at the Northern harbour. It was quieter, people that came were rather too engulfed in their own romances to notice a warrior clad lady. They walked beside the ocean—the sun just barely letting it's light out.

She needed to think a little bit, Clark could tell she was fighting an internal battle on whether or not to reveal anything to him. 'I am from a Southern tribe of Amazon warriors,' she decided.

Still not quite understanding Clark simply nodded and said 'Okay,' awkwardly, trying to get his head around what she'd said. 'Amazon Warriors?' as in from Greek mythology? 'So what was that thing, from before?'

The warrior took in a slight breath. 'It was a shade from the underworld. I do not know why it possessed that man and attacked you…The underworld has no quarrel with the living. Not on this scale anyway.' She appeared to be in thought about something. 'It said a very peculiar thing. You probably do not understand it as it was said in Aeolic Greek. "Only the dead have seen—"'

"—have seen the end of war," Clark was pleased to see her eyes light up at his recognition though wondered how. 'We have the same saying here by an American philosopher from Spain.' Then there was another question that bugged him, 'and that whole Son of Heracles thing?'

She laughed aloud as if he had just said the most funniest thing in history. 'Apologies, friend,' she said, sobering up. 'I had forgotten. But that is matter for another time.'

'Then let me help.'

The woman looked at him, scrutinisingly for a moment. 'You barely know me…or trust me…Hera, I even tried to kill you a moment ago. Thus giving you fuel against me.'

Clark shrugged her point aside and firmly stated that he wanted to aid her in any dilemma she faced. 'I was given a taste of your problems and I don't believe it is a good idea to face it alone.'

The Amazonian tilted her head a bit, 'Even if it could potentially kill you?' Clark smiled at her and nodded. 'That is a strange attitude to have….uhm…Clark.'

'It was how I was raised.'

The two shared a glance and she asked, 'From your mother?'

To which Clark nodded, and added his father as well. 'Parenting, as I have experienced is most often a shared responsibility. Both my mom and dad have taught me and helped me see the world.'

'A father?' the very prospect seemed foreign in her eyes. Clark was intrigued thus indulged her when she asked him if he still sees his father and what having one was like. What a father was like.

Clark became silent for a while. 'He died a long time ago.'

'Did he fall in battle?' she asked him with all seriousness. 'My mother fell in battle, cut down right in front of me while Themyscira burned, by someone I suspect had a hand in what you saw at the docks—which is actually why I came to Man's World.'

'You came to make sure no one else die in such a manner as hers?' She nodded. Clark understood in a way. 'It is an admirable purpose and a strong one too.'

They continued to walk when the warrior paused, it occurred to her that he'd dodged a question and decided to pursue it again. Again the strange man, hiding in plain sight such powers, was yet again hiding. She was beginning to get more and more interested in this character.

But after a few more talking, he finally complied though hesitant he told her in easy flow.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**SMALLVILLE,**_

The truck filled with Kents travelled from town and in about ten minutes had caught up with traffic. Young Clark and Jonathan had just picked up Martha and were headed home. '…look, I know that Met U is pretty far away but it's the best place offering Journalism and Bio-entanglement Physics.'

Jon sighed, occasionally looking towards his son seated beside him. 'I know it is Clark, but College here is closer so you could still help out around the farm.'

'I just want to do something helpful with my life,' Clark started. 'I can see the waves and frequencies that connect us all!'

Again, Mr Kent sighed, looking in the rear-view mirror and Martha Kent for some support. But by the looks of it, she appeared as though she was prepared to go with their son on this one. He'd known that Clark was meant for many great things. It was a feeling that transcended just the hopeful wishes of a father about his children. 'Son, you can help people here. Farming, feeding people, that's…that's not helping?'

'Look I didn't say that.'

'Clark, I utterly agree with you,' it was Martha's turn to voice her opinion after just observing the exchange from the back seat. 'But you know that you could postpone your term for two years there. That's more than enough time for you to help out until we can get more money, and hire more staff. Doesn't that scholarship offer lasts that long?'

'But it gets turned into a student loan after two years, mom.' Clark stopped, paused for a moment to just compile him-self. 'Look, dad,' he turned to face his father who was staring out onto the traffic. The day had gotten quite cloudy for his taste. 'I can take my first year at Met U and take the next year off for home and a job to pay back the loan…'

Jon shushed his son, subtly but not rude. He leaned forward over the dashboard. Something wasn't right and that feeling just held his heart, squeezing it. The clouds gathered close, hiding away the closing sun.

Martha grabbed her husband's shoulder. 'Jon…what is it?'

The young Clark saw his father's eyes widen with fear and panic. 'We need to get out of here.' The next thing they knew they were out on the freeway, people running and screaming in the opposite direction as a series of twisters began advancing on the traffic filled highway. The funnel dug into the ground like a blade, tearing open everything in its path. Jon pushed Clark towards the fleeing people, ordering him to take Martha to the overpass.

The young boy did not question him and escorted his mother hurriedly to the bridge. There was a woman struggling with her daughter. Clark did the decent thing and scooped the seven year-old in his arms and with her mother made for the overpass where Martha was waiting. Jon was behind them when another mother yelled from the crowd.

'Please help!' she cried trying to push her way to the front of the people. 'My son's not here!' she pointed at the collection of vehicles on the road. 'Please, my boy's still in the car!'

When Clark spun around to get him, he saw Jon had already sped off. He looked to his mother, asking her permission to go after them. 'Be careful, Clark,' she cautioned with a worried smile.

Kents were known to be rash and impatient when it came to morals. It was like an instinct to act upon a good course of action at any situation. Jonathan Kent was no exception. He knew the woman was Mrs Jill Kennedy, a working-class mom two if you call her husband out on his childish immaturity. Jon also helped Aaron Sullivan work on her car at the shop so he knew where little James must be hiding.

He could hear Clark calling for him from behind. It appeared strange that he actually worried about his indestructible son.

At last, Jon could see the blue SUV two cars away. Clark soon joined his fearful father. He could now see the boy in the back, crying his eyes out. 'Dad, you need to be careful, Dr Bradman said your heart might break.' Jon smiled weakly at him but reassured him nonetheless. They were about to go when Clark also heard another cry. Focussing past the SUV there was a sedan carrying a little girl no older than James. 'Dad,' he called out, his voice rising faintly over the wind whooshing angrily around them, 'Penny Finn in the other car!'

Jon nodded to his son. 'Okay, Clark you get Penny and I'll go for James,' Jonathan instructed calmly and instantly raced for the cars.

Clark had just gotten Penny out and ran for his father, by this point the violent tornado was so close that it had started ripping cars off the ground, his denim shirt, ripped open, waving in the winds. Then with the children hugging their rescuers tightly, the two Kent men battled the raging winds. He saw their truck being sucked into the raging vortex. Jon wrapped James in his brown jacket and moved against the tide.

Even with his amazing powers, Clark could feel the strength of the super winds raging by. They were pulling at him with a natural vengeance that almost rendered him obsolete, but holding onto little Penny, Clark continued to soldier on—keeping in mind his father was right behind him.

The tornado was getting close, too close, and Clark realised his feet were digging into the grey road, trying their very best to keep him fairly rooted. He looked behind him, at his father whom faired even worst. He tried to reach for him. 'Take my hand, Pa!'

The older Kent took hold of his son's hand just as he felt the raging winds pulling him by the feet. Things were getting far out of hand and he knew his son was struggling now to keep hold of him without crushing his hand. Jon continued to hold the boy in his arms as best he could but found it was getting far too difficult for him. Both the children were screaming and crying out for their parents.

'Hold on, Pa!'

Jon shook his head wildly, 'Son…son I can't.' His heart…it was giving in, he could feel it. He was fighting now, against the shocks his core was experiencing, with his whole body suspended off the ground. He tried now…one last time. He fought the tornado and held the poor boy for his son to take…he'd have to let go. 'Son, you have to take James.

'No, dad...' Clark pleaded, as he strained to keep Penny from the pressure. 'Pa, hold on!'

'Clark!' James called, now trying to hold onto Clark beside Penny.

He looked at his father, pleadingly, 'I can save you all, dad!' but Jon shook his head. It wasn't that he disagreed. But like everyone everywhere…you can't hold onto everything at once. Clark saw it, in his father's eyes. It was that look that he got when he saw something going his way, but Clark definitely did not see any of this going their way. He can't give up… 'You can't give up, Pa!' the young Kent cried, tears welling up in his eyes. There was so much going on, with Penny, and James and dad.

Again, Jon shook his head at his son. He knew what he had to do. There was so much fear and doubt in his eyes, so much he needed done but there was one certainty he needed to ensure. When it came to doing the right thing…nothing can be personal. 'I'm giving you…' that was it…his heart had but one last beat, '…a little light, son.'

With that…Jon gave one final boost for James, straight into…Clark's arms, reacting naturally, caught the kid but at the expense of his own father. He cried out as loud as his lungs could let, as he watched his father flying into the twister.

He shielded the two children in his arms from the pressurised wind storm, only hoping now that he could hold it long enough for the tornado to pass, all the while trying to stop himself from breaking down. But he could not just stand there. After several minutes of trying to recondition himself, he took a step forwards. 'Hold on guys.' Step by step, he plunged his feet thirty centimetres into the tar. His view of vision blurred still by the grey winds, he dodged every tree and piece of scrap metal that shot at him the right.

Step by step…_My father just_….step by step…_he let go_…step…_I just_…_I just!_

He felt like screaming, screaming against the violent forces of nature, commanding for it to stop…to leave them alone, to lighten up and let him at least save the two children with him.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

'My dad did fall in battle,' Clark finished. 'He knew his heart was failing but he ran in anyway…to help. He knew that he wouldn't be able to save little Penny and James but he knew he could make sure that I could.'

'Are all Father's like that?' the woman inquired. 'Selfless?'

To that Clark did not know what to say. He knew she had a limited view of the world, didn't want to give her any negatives as her 101. But then again…he sort of lived in Man's World, so he thought he was probably biased. 'Only the best ones…uh…I don't actually know your name, ma'am.'

She grinned mischievously. 'That's because I have not given it to you…yet.'

'Is this a sort of like a test of faith thing?' Clark asked in earnest interest. 'I mean, I sort of gave you _my_ name already.'

The Amazonian placed a friendly hand, gentle yet firm, upon his shoulder. They kept their gaze locked on each other and it seemed like they clicked. There was something in her eyes that Clark seemed to recognise. He did not know how long she'd actually been abroad but if anything her dark eyes told of isolation and loneliness. 'That is exactly why I will not give you mine just yet.'

Clark shrugged and extended his arm to her. 'Well, until then…just call me for any trouble.'

The Amazonian gazed at his hand with a raised brow but ultimately she grabbed hold of his forearm and shook it slightly, 'Gratitude, Mr Kent.'

(_**Adventure Continues Soon…**_)

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

His builders were miracle workers, Lex could tell you. It took less than six hours to completely patch up that hole in the lobby. His Project Collector was still safe but Lex could not stress how near faint his heart was. This was far too close for comfort.

Luckily for most reporters tend to sleep.

Dr Lerman had called him with 'Code 3 (_**Contact**_)'. This was the day he'd been looking forward to since his youth. Looking up at the starts at night he'd always wondered about the knowledge that infinite could offer him. The infinity of space, so wondrous, so mysterious but Luthor knew, even before the clear evidence. The appearance of Subject b1 had merely confirmed it. Then he got a call in the middle of the night by the research leader about their super radio picking up something.

The elevator opened and out of the cubicle, Luthor was met by a whole corridor of mess. The sudden sparks from the walls did not help the situation or his view of Lerman at all and the prospect of firing that mad scientist was frightful to say the least…but then again why not do both. Frankly he irked the shit out of him.

'Mr Luthor,' and there appeared Dr something-something Lerman. As stoked and uncomfortably enthusiastic as always, he mentally commented as the doctor ran to him in giddy skips. 'I'm glad you were able to make it. I hope I did not interrupt—'

'Don't worry about it, Dr Lerman,' the billionaire pardoned him. 'My daughter had just returned from god knows where and she looked quite upset. I'm smart enough not to stand beside a time bomb at countdown.'

He was led through the narrow corridors and toward several rooms. A glimpse of what laid in those rooms had him sigh in utter annoyance. The bodies of his interns, seeing as he himself had disposed of the previous ones.

These weren't even inducted yet.

'Excuse the mess, Mr Luthor but b1's destruction was long overdue. Luckily Superman was there, eh?' Luthor forced a smile but they both knew that. They continued to where Lerman kept the radio.

The device was a little crude, box about the same size as an Xbox console, connected to a large screen, now that part was new. The actual radio was created by Lex himself when he was in High School. His fascination with aliens and outer space had been the gateway to a tremendous childhood of wonder away from the hell that his father brought with him.

He saw the screen was locked on static so he faced the doctor, a little bit impatient. The call explicitly said '_**Contact**_' and this was quite disappointing. Lex was not very pleased with disappointment.

Lerman saw this and a slither of fear pierced his heart as he stumbled to get to the point. He knew that Mr Luthor was not one for the details. Chances were that he'd already know them. 'Now, now, Mr Luthor,' he positioned himself at a safe distance on the other side of a rectangular table where the Xbox…Alien Frequency Identifying Receiver or (AFIR). 'I know what you must be thinking but please, be patient, sir. The thing is that we were not the one that found it.' From the static, a voice appeared—a deep and mysterious voice making some sort of unknown sounds that Lex decided must have been a different language. Lerman looked at his boss with a lopsided grin. 'It hijacked the frequencies we extended.'

Luthor looked to the screen. As wide as any flat-screen these days and from one side to the other were just a storm of snowflakes. 'Do you hear me,' he started. 'This is Lex Luthor of Metropolis, can you hear me?'

'I find your common tongue system quite interesting,' said the voice. 'A mixture of many other languages, like a parasite of linguistics, sucking up their identities…Latin…Arabic…Nordic…Greek…'

Lex was quite impressed. 'Are you…are you an alien?'

'I am an interdimensional being not bound in identity by planetary placement,' it answered. 'Though I have many names in many places, in your common tongue…my name is _Brainiac_.' And with that the static cleared, the screen revealed a man of metal, a robot, an android that looked quite similar to Subject b1—jade looking skin resembling what appeared to be rotting skin on a human skull, with glowing purple eyes and robotic diodes on his forehead. Though he spoke, his mouth did not move. 'I have come to collect.'

Luthor leaned closer. His eyes were studying him with a mixture of intrigue and suspicion. 'How can I help?'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**SMALLVILLE**_

_**8 years ago…**_

It took a few more hours before the tornado passed. Thankfully the Overpass had actually helped, and the people of Smallville survived under its protection while some waited anxiously for their loved ones. Two families in particular searched for their children. Led by Martha Kent they ventured off to the destroyed roads, panic and fear on their faces.

What they found…What every person there saw, was miraculously mind-shifting.

Clark Kent, crouched in pain, wrapping two children with his body from debris the storm had callously discarded. The mothers' first instincts were to run to their children. Both James and Penny charged into their mom's secure arms and surrounded by family, seeing if they were alright.

Martha ran clear of the crowd, she then walked up to her son…but she saw no sign of her husband anywhere. She feared the worst. Her son was in laboured sobs and when he did look up at her, with his eyes red with a sorrow so terrible…yet she could guess, and it made her tremble. 'Mom…' he spoke.

'Clark?'

He revealed he'd been cradling something, a jacket…Jonathan's jacket. '…Mom?' Then he started to wail out in cries again. Martha knelt down and cradled her son in his arms, enveloping him with as much comfort as she could muster despite her own despair. She tried…she tried her best to shush her son from the ear-shattering sorrow, screaming at them. Jonathan Kent…was dead.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=S=-**

**Author's Notes:**

**I did in fact take a bit from Man of Steel for this one. Like, the death of Jonathan Kent has been done many times in continuity, usually in film and television, but I did think that in Man of Steel, the twister thing was interesting and new but I had problems with the message it conveyed. That secrets and lies are worth dying for? For me personally that was never what the Kents were about. I mean they kept secrets but that was never the priority for them.**

**I know that some people have problems with why Clark didn't just go in and help, thinking that he'd definitely be strong enough to handle a tornado. I hold that he probably was not that strong at the time, I could be wrong but that's what I'm holding up. But that wouldn't have stopped Clark from trying; usually I held that secrets were not too important to him, even if his dad wanted him to keep it, if it costs lives, no brainer, Clark to the rescue. **


	13. A Nose In The Right Places

**Chapter Twelve **

**A NOSE IN THE RIGHT PLACES**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**LEXCORP**_

Lois had been busy all week. She had only three hours of sleep for the past four days. To her that was a record. If her father found out he'd consider it just rumours and gossip. If there was one thing to know about Lois Lane, was that she loved her sleep. She was definitely not a morning person. But with the whole Superman and LexCorp thing, she found it very hard to sleep at all.

She'd spent her nights looking, searching for leads as to the identity of this blurry hero that came in and rescued citizens at random before disappearing in a puff of smoke. She'd seen him pick up trains and saw bullets bounce off of him every time she arrived on the scene before it ended.

Despite the mystery behind this man of steel, the people were beginning to love him. Lois however, was suspicious by nature.

But that night, her head was far from Superman. It was instead geared towards the stoic and equally mysterious Lex Luthor. She couldn't grasp what she had seen below LexCorp and after getting Jimmy checked out had forced him not to tell anyone of what he'd seen. She had then left him at Clark Kent's apartment. She was definitely not letting the redhead in her house ever again.

Boy was an immature perv in her reckoning.

So that night she found herself at LexCorp once again. The building's main entrance was closed off by yellow tape and a blockade of city detectives and officers. Body counts and DNA identifications had been going on for a while now. Detective Jones had actually said it might take up to three to four days to finish up.

It was a catastrophe, what the Atomic Skull had done. His rampage in Town Hall and then the appearance of Superman to save the day…not to mention that robot that she and Jimmy had stumbled upon.

Lois hid behind one of the police trucks and peeked around to get a good picture of where she stood. She needed to find a way back into that secret lab thing. There was something weird going on down there and Lex Luthor was clearly the mastermind.

She saw one of the detectives walking with an officer, coffees in hand he took off her overcoat and placed it on a bench. He must have forgotten it as he climbed into another truck. Lois power-walked to the coat and placed it on quickly. She checked the pockets and blessed the heavens and that god she didn't believe in, when she found that the dolt detective had left his ID inside the pocket.

With her disguise, Lois got in without as much as a word to her. On the floor she noticed there were numbered signs next to different piles of ash and dust. Below the numbers were names or serials. These were the ones that died in Atomic's blasts.

She stopped at the elevators, one was damaged while the other seemed in working order but it wasn't one with the extra subterranean levels. 'Shit,' Lois swore as she searched the control panel.

'Hey, what are you doing there?!'

Lois was startled as a woman appeared from the stairwell a gun at her hip but she already had her hand on it. 'May I help you?' Lois asked, trying to divert attention from how suspicious she might actually look.

'I don't know if you've noticed but Mr Luthor has made the rest of the building off limits for the time being.' The detective was a tall woman, short blond hair, slender figure. Yet she looked very intimidating. 'So unless you have an actual LexCorp pass, then I suggest you get back to work cataloguing the dust and ready for transport.'

Lois held her hands on her hips. 'I didn't know we were taking orders from Lex Luthor now. What happened to the chief?' She had to admit, she did sound quite convincing. The woman just stared her down. Her gaze was so strong and telling. Lois had competition here.

'Just get back to work.' And then she was off.

Lois breathed a sigh of relief but continued her investigation. She could not get into the lab below ground, not from the lobby.

She checked the front, still too many people, she wouldn't be able to get up without being seen. The elevators were inaccessible from the lobby now, but that didn't mean that they were not working. Thing was, she knew that the battle between Superman and Atomic Skull had not gotten that deep into the building. There was little to no reason for the lifts to malfunction.

But she had an idea. She hadn't done this in such a long time, she maybe rusty but still, she never shied away from anything before.

Lois tied her hair back and looked around where the lobby narrowed into narrow causeways with banisters above them for the second level. Lois ran at a fast but controlled speed. She aimed for the corner at the end of the causeway and just a few inches away from the wall, she leapt a metre off the ground and then pushed off the wall, launching himself onto the adjacent balcony further above her. She did not stop there and twirled herself over the railing.

The elevators there were also out of order and as such would not open up for her…then it hit her…

Lex Luthor had full access to the building, all with the power of his ID card stored away in his office. The last time she went down into their extensive basement, she was posing as an intern, but clearly that won't help her again. She put up her hood and walked at a hastened pace through the corridors and rooms. Shen she could take the stairs she would, when she could not she employed parkour to advance. She used to play that with her sister. Getting from one rooftop to the other, racing with such danger, it was fun, though Lucy usually won.

It took less than thirty minutes to get to Lex's personal office but found it locked electronically. But she did have a trick up her sleeves. Surprisingly, an app developed by a friend of hers and for her phone alone. It emitted a sudden burst of electromagnetic disturbances that disrupt the flow of radio waves for a few moments. Just enough time for her to break in without being seen, but her escape…was a different matter.

Lex Luthor's dark office was not unlike any other corporate boss's working quarters. Everything seemed in pristine condition, a lot of glass around, some in different shapes. Even his desk was glass.

She paused when she thought she felt a shadow moving…but there was only silence. Ignoring her fears she rushed to one of the wooden desks on the right hand side of the window at the back. It took several attempts but she was finally able to locate the card…it was metal with certain dots at the back. A laser would read that, different to the scanners that read her ID tag. Stashing the card in her pocket she was about to close the drawers again when she saw something…a handful of "Classified" files.

'It would be a shame,' the investigative reporter muttered, referring to the collection of sources that had stamped on the covers "_Read me I'm important and likely to get someone fired or thrown in prison._"

_**Infected Metahumans**_

Lois squinted just in case she wasn't reading it right... 'Metahumans?' She opened the first file. It had a government stamp on it…why would this be in a very insecure…that was when she noticed the locks. It wasn't a wooden drawer but a lead lined container that someone had just opened. She saw it… some sort of knife sticking out of a control panel for the lock—finger plate scanner. She took the knife out. It was some sort of bat shaped razor.

Someone was looking for something important. She looked down at the file. It had a name and a photo of a man, blonde hair, blue eyes, looked like it was from a police badge. True enough she spotted the trim and collar of his uniform in the photo. 'Barry Allen?' she turned to the other files, 'Dinah Lance,' and then another, 'Jean-Paul Valley…' What was this?

Lois flicked through every page and every folder. Surveillance photos from their daily life. Had Luthor been spying on a couple of people? They weren't even from Metropolis. She heard a rattling from behind. The doors, someone was coming. Acting swiftly, Lois put the files back into the drawer and hid next to the door.

Who she saw coming in was actually not Lex Luthor but some sort of girl, a young woman with short hair. She remembered her, from where she could not recall. Apparently it was Luthor's daughter. She found it hard to believe the first time she was told.

She watched as the Luthor spawn looked like she was searching for something, looking around her father's desk, then to the drawer. She took the files, looked around her as if someone was watching…wait, she was watching, Lois Lane…

After determining that she was indeed alone in the dark, she took the files and left. She didn't even notice Lois standing with her hood up, connected to a blackish cabinet. She also held the door ajar a few micro millimetres. Lois was holding her breath in, sucking in as much air as possible not knowing if it was actually helping her stay hidden or not. Then, as easy as she entered, she vanished.

She had gotten quite good at it…at vanishing, as children it was her favourite game, because she was great at it. Lois had once played a full game of hide-and-seek and stayed hidden for twelve hours straight. Her mother didn't like that of course and thought the worst when she had suddenly disappeared for half the day.

She ended up grounded for a full year at her father's behest.

Now, she had the card and some more questions…a tone of questions. The reporter made her way back downstairs. Again, utilising parkour she evaded some craftily placed security. Like a security guard that was so easy to manipulate and all she needed to do was give the man a kiss on the lips and even play with his chest seductively for a bit. All too easy, she got a pass.

She was almost there, she had gotten to the lobby, where all the ashes of the fallen were still scattered. As she walked by she saw the female detective spot her and moving towards her. Lois tried rushing a little but also trying not to drag more attention. 'Hey…wait!' too late, the detective was almost on her when she tripped, slipped on…a pile of ash. 'Fuck!'

The reporter then also saw the rest of the agents heading towards the fallen detective. Those guys actually ignored the ashes completely, stepping over them, kicking them as they passed. It almost got Ms Lane throwing up. _Those bastards!_

She had gotten to Jill St when she decided she needed to get home and quick. Lane was feeling quite good about herself there. She had gotten a heck load of information—_revealing _information. She had to get writing.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

Two days later an article was printed on the front page of The Daily Planet newspaper which had gotten the whole of Metropolis talking…

**MET POLICE HOLDS NO RESPECT FOR DEAD**

**-**_By Lois Lane_

'_...We're nothing but numbers in the eyes of law enforcement…nothing but codes, calculated and quantified on how much of a burden we really are…'_

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

**Author's Note: **

**There's been something that's been bugging me. I've been contemplating whether or not to kill off Leanna Luthor at some point. Also, sorry if this chapter seems small. To be truthfully honest, this one was an accident. Hope you enjoy it all the same. **


	14. Want To Play A Game?

**Chapter Thirteen**

**WANT TO PLAY A GAME?**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**WATCHTOWER**_

They analysed the Warrior Woman and her superfast moves that rivalled Clark's. But then again, Clark was never really a warrior type. 'This gal has had years of training,' Clark suggested. 'She said that she was an Amazon.'

Now saying it out loud Clark had just realised how weird that sounded. Reading about Heracles' twelve labours and his brush with the Amazon society of women warriors was interesting, almost erotic in its own right. But there was something he saw in her eyes. A loneliness that he was all too familiar with was painted in her cool eyes.

'Do you think she could be trusted?' Heather asked.

Clark shrugged but ultimately gave the warrior a chance. 'She seems alright but she isn't of any concern. She has her own issues to sort out.' He turned to Lea. 'I offered her our help if she needed it. So open up a channel for her in case she calls.' Clark took off his jacket and onto the mannequin before it was swallowed by the wall.

Heather walked over to Leanna and asked if she was going to be fine without them. 'I was going to take Clark out tonight.'

'You could come too if you want,' Leanna's best friend offered. She thanked him of course but ultimately turned them down. Clark accepted her decision and the couple vanished out of the room.

The young Luthor sighed, quite sleepy which was strange. She was never sleepy, it really was not in her nature and it sort of unnerved her a little.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**PROJECT COLLECTOR**_

'The Human race is in danger.'

Lex nodded, 'I utterly agree with you, friend.'

The Intergalactic Singularity, whom had identified himself in English as Brainiac Prime, looked at the human with intrigue, as intriguing as the world itself. From the computer, Brainiac could scan the man, his brain function, capabilities that exceeded his expectations. _Almost an equal_, he thought. 'It is in danger, from itself,' he finished.

Luthor smiled up at him. 'And I suppose you want to fix us?'

'I come to collect…'

'Us?'

Brainiac's voice deepened, eyes glowing a little bit. 'I come to collect knowledge. Human knowledge is precious to me. I take it that you share my enthusiasm?'

The multibillionaire nodded. He was a real loner when he was growing up simply for that fact…he loved knowledge, learning things, new things, or things that no one else really cared about. 'What can I do to assist you, then?'

There was a pause from both ends as Brainiac's eyes began to glow even brighter. '_Accessing global networks…_'

'Do you even need my help?'

The pause continued before finally, Brainiac looked down to address him. 'I have accessed more than half of the Earth's data banks…I need help gaining entry to the remaining 37% including non-electronic data.' But he wasn't finished yet. There was another thing that had him quite bothered. While he was trying to gain access to Earth's mainframe, he was completely blind to his own ship. He had taken a lot of damage from the Guardian's Lantern Corp. He was vulnerable. 'I need to become invisible.'

There was a grin on Luthor's face when he heard this. 'I can help you with all accounts…but I request something in return for my services?' Brainiac allowed this with hesitation and suspicion. There would always be suspicion when dealing with an intellectual. 'The world is getting more and more chaotic. Murder and crime run rampant and I no longer have faith in…the law. But there is something out here that can help restore order and discipline.' He presented a USB and plugged it into the 'console'. 'This is a current record of a man in Metropolis that has had me quite intrigued. He is powerful.'

_Access Universal Serial Bus…_

'Interesting,' Brainiac remarked. 'I believe I can help you with this…you want him to rule over your planet?'

Luthor began to pace around the lab…stepping over the now still corpse of his former head of the Collector's Project, a river of blood dripping out of a bullet hole in his forehead. 'Over the course of a few weeks I've analysed Superman's exploits. Every place he's been to, every time there was a cataclysm about to take its course, he is there to save the day, whether the world was aware…or not. Thus, I've also catalogued the natural abilities Superman has thus far demonstrated.' He walked to the other side of the room.

The screen began to illuminate further and out of it came pixels, floating in like dust in the wind. It then began to build up s form…Brainiac…there in the flesh, well sort of. Lex was impressed, but he supressed his wonder into business. He turned on a large computer on the other side and showed a holographic projection of Superman. He watched as Brainiac's own projection walked to him and inspected the diagram.

'His senses are inhuman,' Lex continued, pointing at Superman's head. 'Uncanny hearing, sight that detects energy wavelengths…and from what an associate of mine that had a brush with him up close and personal, claimed he even emits these energy waves in the case of infrared.'

Brainiac read the data being transferred from hard drive to monitor. He then began to smile even wider. This was going brilliantly. 'His muscles…' he started, facing his human equal, '…presumably by processing Solar Radiation, the only conceivably sufficient energy source—can shatter diamond and are sheathed in an epidermis stronger than Titanium…yet he is common in appearance. Where do you suppose such a being comes from?'

'That is my point,' Lex proclaimed. 'I want to organise a meeting with this…could I say Alien or is that insulting to you?' Brainiac kept a cold gaze at him, thus he continued innocently. 'I want to know everything…starting with his people.'

The Brainiac Prime paused to think on the human's proposal. It seemed simple enough and he would have shown it to him once the plan was complete anyway. He nodded in agreement. 'Very well, we have and agreement.' He then disappeared back into the plasma flat screen. 'I shall open my archives…Accessing category…Krypton.'

_**METROPOLIS**_

'_Breaking News: Police are now engaged in a high speed chase through Metropolis' Financial District with an armoured truck. The purpose behind this is yet unclear, but Authorities do command residents and civilians to remain indoors and assist in evacuating the streets.' _Heather reported in front of the camera while Lombard smiled beside her. _'Reporter Lois Lane is on the scene at Sanctuary Bank.'_

The screen switched to another woman, black hair tied back and a mic in her hand. _'Lois Lane here, of Daily Planet News, Live at Sanctuary Bank in the Financial District where a groups of robbers in ragged potato bag masks have stolen half the city's money, part in cash and another digitally. _

'_More on this story, at twelve but until then stay tuned on Daily Planet News on Channel Ten.'_ Steve concluded. '_Next up, what does the mysterious return of Bruce Wayne, Prince of Gotham, mean for Wayne Enterprises?'_

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**FINANCIAL DISTRICT, METROPOLIS **_

The armoured truck ripped through the streets with no thought of the citizens as it skidded at the turns, smashing the side of buildings and homes with its rear. Without slowing down, they sped off while a whole squadron of Police vehicles raced to catch up.

The people in the homes, a crash that deep would have killed anyone in side, especially when the weakening of foundations and the cars that the truck had sent into the house had the upper floor collapse on top of them. But only one police car stopped to help them and Detective Jones raced to lend aid to any survivors.

To his surprise, voices sounded in the wreckage and from them emerged The Superman. Jones raised his gun at the ready but did not shoot him, nor tell him to freeze as he originally planned. The man before him, dressed in navy blue army pants and black military boots, dark red leather jacket and shades and baseball hat to cover his face. He saw the shield on his chest and it strangely looked familiar…._El_?

The Superman looked at him for only a moment and then leapt onto the streets to continue his pursuit of the armoured truck.

Jones took out his radio and began to talk to his captain. 'Guys, I've got a visual on Superman…he's on your six…' he waited for a response. 'No I don't think he's a hostile, sir.'

Clark was running at a rate that he was sure not used to…he was getting slow. Though some of what he was doing was also quite intentional. He needed to make sure that there was as no collateral damage.

'_Superman, you're running at 93 miles per hour…what's wrong?_'

Clark pressed the earpiece so he could respond. 'I don't know…I'm going as fast as I can here…and when did you change my moniker?'

Even through the earpiece, Clark could practically hear the wide smirk on _Watchtower's_ face. Superman? It sounded quite arrogant and that was far from what he was trying to be. When he heard it the first thing that came to mind was that German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and his concept of an _Übermensch_.

'Okay, Watchtower…I see four armed men and a hostage…female—one of the bankers from Sanctuary.' Clark had just passed by the pursuing cop cars and was right at the truck's tail. 'I'll try and quickly get the hostage clear.'

'Affirmative, Superman. I'm standing by.'

The chase continued for another mile before the robbers opened the rear doors. They began to fire at him. Normally he wouldn't care and let them hit him, but he also knew that the ricocheted bullets had the risk of injuring or even killing anyone. Clark looked back and signalled for the cops to get away from him and when they did, Clark had full play here. He jumped and barrel-rolled in a clockwise movement to avoid the oncoming bullets that flew at him, then they even began getting a minigun, opening the top of the car and firing at him furiously, almost blindly.

He contemplated using his heat-vision but knew that that the after-effects would slow him down immensely. He needed to end this quickly before more harm came to the hostage. Clark lunged forward, far enough that he was able to grab the end of the truck and swing himself in.

'Please, help me,' pleaded the captive banker.

Clark complied, taking her in his arms, ignoring the assailants and jumped out to the curb where he carefully placed her back on two legs. She thanked him, earning a salute from Clark before re-establishing his pace in the chase.

He almost caught up too when a sudden but agonising pain erupted from his heart. 'Superman! Superman, are you alright?!'

Clark slowed down but did not stop his run. 'My…my heart…' He continued to speed up, the pain receding somewhat. 'It's alright, Watchtower. I'm fine.'

That was when he leapt to catch up to the truck. He jumped well over it…but it was what happened next that surprised Clark even more than that sudden heart attack. He hovered a kilometre away from the oncoming truck for no more than two seconds before kicking the air and launching himself absentmindedly at the robbers.

The truck had been reduced to wrecked metal and broken glass, encapsulating him. Crap, he had lost his shades. Clark sighed. Those were the fifth shades he'd lost this week…and they definitely did not come cheap.

Clark had barely got out of the wreckage when he felt wheezy again. This time, the pain travelled his spine and up to his head, resulting in the form of vomit…he looked down at his upchuck…blood? He then found himself surrounded by police, and not just police but S.W.A.T teams and…LexCorp security?

Tragic…his last view before blacking out into darkness and it was down the barrel of a massive gun.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

'He's coming to, Mr Luthor…'

Things were coming to as a blur in the light…

'…Heartrate is stabilising…the effects of the radiation poisoning is reducing.' A man's voice, he was not familiar with it.

Still a little blurry, but Clark could feel the steps, stopping directly in front of him. Where was he?

Soon it became clear to him that he was bound by the wrists to the arms of a metal chair, and by the legs as well. He could feel his head begin to clear up…he began to see the room around him…the face in front of him, hidden partially in a blind light. His heart—it felt like something was pushing at his chest with such force from the front, squishing his heart like a vice.

'Mr…Mr Luthor?' it was him…Lex Luthor, Leanna's father.

Lex Luthor smiled at him. 'I see my reputation had found its way to the stars.'

Still feeling a little dizzy, Clark looked around, at the other man…a scientist by his lab coat. He read the name tag—Dr E. Hamilton.

'What…what do…' he looked up at Luthor's straightened stance. 'What do you want with me?' He saw that Lex was holding something…a rock—_the_ rock— from the other day. He threw the rock into Hamilton's hands and told him to leave the room.

Suddenly, the tightening in his heart had vanished. He was still dizzy as hell but at least the pain was at a more manageable rate.

'Please…let me go…' he knew it was a futile request, but who knows…maybe he'll be lucky. 'Please, let me go.'

He watched the smile only widen on the billionaire's clean face. 'Oh I will, Son of El, most definitely. I apologise for such rude form of hospitality, but learning that there is life outside of my planet has left me quite paranoid…more so when I find that that life has found its way to Earth.' Clark felt a crowd of mixed feelings riot within him, a mixture of fear and panic with utter confusion. How did he know? 'Of course I will let you go, but first I have some things I need to do first.

'I have been watching you,_ Superman_, for many months now,' he began to circle him, his hands mushed together over his lips as he walked with such an aura of confidence that it sent some chills down Clark's spine. 'I know what you are capable of and I know what you can't. I also know where you come from.'

Clark's face shot up, searching for Luthor whom had disappeared behind him. _Did Mr Luthor just say he knew where I came from? My planet_? 'How do you know where I'm from?' he asked, naturally. He then added another question that had been bugging him at present, 'Why do I feel…strange?'

That grin returned, he was beginning to dislike that grin on Luthor as it was so different to Lea's yet the resemblance…hard to believe they were related. 'Checkmate, there, Superman. I know all about you. I have seen your world, through a scope of my own design if you must know. Shall I part this information to you?'

Clark gritted his teeth. 'I have the right to know!'

'Ah, but the contrary…Human Rights as established by the United Nations…is for _humans_…Homo sapiens…mankind, whichever you would like to call us.' Lex stopped in front of him and laid out his arms to the side like a cross. 'I am human whilst you, Super_man_, am not. But that is where you get your advantage for no one born under a yellow sun will ever be a Superman.'

Clark clenched his knuckles. He was still weak, his body was shouting it at him but at the same time, his strength was returning to him. 'As I've asked before…what do you want from me?'

Lex sighed and looked to the one-way window. 'Do you know who I am? What my name means to Metropolis?' When Clark answered with a glare, Lex saw fit to just tell him. 'My name is this city's legacy, its future.' He affirmed with a gesture of his hand and several men in different form of law enforcement uniforms. Standard Metropolis Police, S.W.A.T Kevlar, Special Forces and Luthor's own security team in a grey uniform that bore the company's logo. 'My company has built this city and I have seen you save it for years…without authority or Right.' The men surrounded him, their guns at the ready by their sides. This was not going to end nicely for any of them and Clark had rather not injure anybody. '…But we can change that.'

'You want me to work for you?' Clark elaborated, simply. Not even trying to hide the disgust in his tone like he'd just told him to become a male prostitute. Normally it wouldn't be that bad but Clark has been investigating Lex for close to two years now. The man did not have so much as a parking ticket which was odd. So Clark dug deeper, and from recent development had confirmed most of his suspicions. 'You don't particularly have a clean track record do you, Mr Luthor.' Lex took a step back, looking the specimen from top to bottom as he continued. 'Yes, your reputation is known to many. Namely your crimes and the lives they've ruined.'

'You're not seeing the big picture here, Superman.' Luthor urged. 'Think…you can bring order and discipline to this world of chaos, force it if you must.'

Clark shook his head furiously, bearing in mind that his brain felt like someone had taken it out and shook it wildly before chucking it back in. 'That's not really my style.'

Luthor could not believe it. 'Listen, you have to understand…helping a few people at a time…well that's all good, but you won't change the world that way.' He held his fist to the air between them. 'You need to change it…and at this day and age, it's done by force.'

'The world has enough people that make it harder to live in,' Clark held a stern gaze at him. 'I don't want to be among them. I won't ruin lives as you have.'

Luthor saw that his past moves and countermoves seemed to have greater impact on this extra-terrestrial than he thought. Curious. All the same, Lex needed to convince him…he needed to show him that with great power comes great responsibility. 'Progress requires a few sacrifices—'

'They weren't yours to make, Mr Luthor!'

Luthor sighed, he was afraid that this might happen. This Superman had no interest in serving mankind. Its head was too narrow, too simple. So what was he to do? 'Then I take it you reject my proposal, Son of El.' Clark said nothing but the glare that intensified was answer enough. 'The world is in chaos. Do you really believe that these people will welcome you to their world…to my world in any other way?' Clark said nothing. 'People…humans, are fearful creatures and that fearful instinct has led us to the brink of ruin on more than one occasion.'

'I was raised knowing that people are more than that, Luthor. They are more than their fears,' Clark responded. 'People have the rights to choose who leads them.'

Luthor began to break into laughter. So much so that tears were forming in the corner of his eyes. 'You can't really be _that_ naïve…' again, Clark just glowered. Lex turned his back to the alien, staring straight at the mirror. 'Well you are quite young, more so in Kryptonian standards I suppose.'

Clark's eyes expanded, '_Kryptonian?_'

'Ah yes…it looks like I let slip the name of your planet of origin.' _Now that I have your attention, _he let a slight grin play around for a little while. Not too revealing but even _he_ needed to let loose.

Clark struggled with his bindings. Normally they would have torn with a simple tug but Clark still felt not himself. He was still sick and it was scaring him—the confusion. 'You can't bribe me with information, Luthor. I know what you are!' He finally barked. 'Christopher Stark, slit in the throat, Albert Michaels, exposure to experimental radiation, Jean Porter, shot in the eyes...' He looked like he was going to stop when he gave him one last look of defiance. 'Lori Luthor…torn to shreds by dogs.' He yelled. 'You killed your own wife, Leanna's mother!'

Something broke within Luthor. He had never put much thought to his wife, but now it was staring at him in the face. Her sick eyes judging him…the anger that boiled at the discovery of her affair. He leapt onto Clark, his hands at his throat. 'You're alone, son of El.' He growled, seethed. 'Your world…destroyed.' His face had gone from cool and collected to maniacal, basking in the sudden look of distraught on Clark's young face. 'Your people, your family—that's right…I've seen them…I saw them burn!' he was shoved off of him by Clark's chest. Still though, Lex chuckled. 'I've seen them all burn. You are alone in this universe.'

Clark howled like a wolf's call to the moon.

On the other side of the mirror, one of the doctors looked on with focus. Her eyes locked on his target but her brain was focussed on her surroundings. There was a small mirror on the wall which she used to check herself out. Her blond hair with pink and blue tips was tied back which she thought gave her quite a professional look. Satisfied with her looks she blew her reflection a kiss with her rosy red lips highlighted more by her overdose on makeup.

She looks at the window, at the rumoured Superman. A half smile appeared, 'Hot little thing, aren't you.'

Back on the interrogated side of the glass, Clark glared at the man and made to rip out of his binds when 10,000 volts of electricity had him screaming, his lungs ready to burst. Clark was to endure this for another five minutes or so before Lex pulled the plug.

Clark was left, his breathing in wheezes and his eyes flickering…Clark had never experienced pain such as this. 'You know, some say that mild electrocution improves memory…I wonder what extreme could do.' He then addressed one of his scientists behind him. 'Put it up to 100,000 volts and increase the amperage past 0.5.'

Thus the torture continued…

In between lapses, when his eyes flickered open then shut again, he saw nothing but Mr Luthor's sly grin. His eyes protected by some black goggles.

Was this it?

It couldn't be it…

His heart was thumping in unregulated beats. He was feeling it…was this death?

What did death feel like? What did the fear of death feel like?

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

In an explosion of glass, bricks and thin shreds of aluminium, the room was breached and from the one-way mirror. 'Sorry, the door was kinda locked…' Clark recognised that voice… 'Hope you don't mind but we let ourselves in…hehehe…'

That other man—Deadshot, appeared, rushing her on. 'Quickly, get the alien!'

The Australian also came in, 'Quickly, Harley, check if Luthor's alive,' he instructed to which Harley simply stuck her tongue out at him. He sighed and moved to check on Luthor himself. '…He's alive.'

'Not very concerned about Luthor, Captain,' Deadshot said as he moved to Clark, unstrapping his limbs. 'We're getting ya outta here, alright, Kent.' All that a semi-unconscious Clark Kent could do was let them take him. He was just so tired.

He looked at his own hands that had grabbed on to one of them for support. They were of an unnatural colour now. His veins had turned a strange greenish hue while his fingers, the nails, some had even fallen off, leaving behind pools of blood. What was happening to him?

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

He stood on the edge of a precipice overlooking a valley of tall buildings and white skyscrapers decorated by clean glass windows. A red sun sets directly ahead, reflected upon the glass. Then he sees another type of red—explosions, coming from the city below, and a building toppling over.

He sees people in the city, fighting, with strange swords, shields and guns that fired some sort of blue energy at each other. Even from where he was, Clark could hear the wails and whimpers just before death. He sees men, women, children, crying for their loved ones, left as corpses littering the roads amongst the rubble. Where was he?

There were tanks, hovering above ground, firing shots at the sobbing people, leaving them nothing but ashes upon the ground, blackened and unrecognisable. Clark wanted nothing more to leap in and help the families and dispatch the tanks. But alas, he found he could not move from his spot, deeply rooted by some unseen force. '_Look at them, Kal-El_,' came a voice, riding in the wind. '_You cannot save them, for all civilisations will know this. They know not but pain and suffering and death…but they have knowledge…'_ It sounded metallic, almost robotic, yet there was an ominous, power in which they were said. _'…and before their time comes…they are to be collected…harvested…by the universe, for the resources they have spent.'_

A loud rumble from the ground beneath his feet, he could feel its might and energy, spreading around. It was more than just a tremor because it began to grow louder...in the city he could see more buildings toppling over. Only this was not caused by the war machines. Foundations had collapsed.

_**BOOOOOM! **_Clark braced himself as the ground split open all across the plains and out came columns and columns of fire and ash from the very centre of the world. No!

He saw the people set ablaze. And then…a sound grabbed his attention. On his left he sees a building on not like the others in the valley, standing at the edge of the cliff. He sees something shoot into the sky from the roof…a rocket he assumed, a rocket rising up into the heavens, shooting up like a star into the red skies. Clark's blue orbs followed the spacecraft, being chased up by some military planes…before it vanished in a blink of an eye, yet he could still see the trail it left into the atmosphere.

Suddenly, he heard the faint whispers of a saddened woman. '…a better world…'

_**LOCATION:**_

_**MEDICAL FLOOR, WATCHTOWER**_

'Keep him in place,' a voice commanded. Clark felt hands all over him, pushing him down against a cold slab. 'He's thrashing, keep him still!'

Both, Lea and Heather watched Dr Hamilton pacing from one side to the other, ordering the various members of the Suicide Squad to aid him with the '_alien_'.

'What's happening to him?' Heather cried, hands over her mouth as strange people buzzed around her unconscious boyfriend. He was stripped of his clothes except for white underwear hugging him so.

Hamilton tried not to answer her, but the look on her face had gotten him to reveal some of what he was doing. 'He's suffering from some form of radiation poisoning.' A green laser wall appeared and covered Clark's body, travelling from head to toe. 'I'm trying to lock it down and identify it but I've never seen radiation molecules such as these.'

'You can fix him, right doc?' asked Ben Turner, passing the doc some equipment he couldn't begin to identify.

Hamilton paused to think for a second. 'He then looked to the female Luthor, whom he saw was also in deep thought. 'Ms Luthor, that colony-stimulating protein solution could help him.'

She was trembling but nodded and ran to the secure cabinet on the wall.

'It hasn't been tested but I see no other option.' Teary, Heather bobbed her head. Lea returned with a vial of some sort of whitish liquid. He then told them to help open Clark's mouth. 'If I'm not mistaken the molecules inside his system resemble that of metal, maybe ore.' Dr Hamilton took in a deep breath before finally pouring the contents of the vial down his throat. 'This solution will bind with the radioactive molecules, attracting them to the stomach and intestines where they can pass as urine.'

'And this will cure him?' Heather inquired, still quite distressed.

'This is the first stage,' the doc informed. 'I fear the contamination has entered his bone marrow. I need to make an incision quickly before his skin heals and thus won't allow me access.' By which Lea gave him another vial, this time it glowed blue, which he then inserted into an automated syringe device. He paused, waiting for the okay from Lea. She nodded and Dr Hamilton inserted the needle into Clark's arm as the scanner gave them vision under the skin on the nearby monitor. This surprised mostly Lea who had seen needles simply bend at the contact to Clark's skin.

Dr Hamilton was just above the radius. Then the device began to inject the solution into the arm with the entire room sucking in air as it did. Finally when it was finished, they all released their pent up breaths.

'The serum acts like granulocyte and promotes the growth of white blood cells that in theory will combat the invasive contaminant.'

'So he's okay then?' Deadshot questioned. The assassin had taken off most of his armour and gloves replaced by safe medical ones.

Hamilton shook his head though not in complete disagreement. 'It's too early to tell but his odds are working with him on this one.'

Lea couldn't contain herself and leapt onto the old doctor, giving him a quite uncharacteristic hug. 'Thank you, Dr Hamilton, thank you so much.'

The fifty-something year-old scientist merely chuckled, 'It is the least I could do, Leanna.' He then looked to the other occupants in the room. 'I'll stay here until Superman regains consciousness and will begin diagnostics. It shouldn't take long.'

Heather too came in and embraced the doctor warmly before sitting herself by the patient's table which had a bluish white glow. This signalled that it was in use, of course. All this had come from Leanna's own brilliant mind. She sometimes wondered about her. Her secrets and how she came to this hero business.

She watched that Harley character walk with the group towards the hallway—her twin ponytails with coloured tips and heavy make-up. At first she looked serious, even with that gothic attire. But then she had her head tilted to one side, a large smile and waved, sort of looked like those cute anime girls. She sighed and caressed her Clark's chiselled face as she whispered sweet words into his ear. His eyes were closed but his heartrate now steadied to a more normal pace. She hoped it was all over.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**LEXCORP**_

Lex was left in such a frustrated mood, sitting on his chair behind his desk with a few cuts and bruises hidden under some Band-Aids. He does nothing but sits there, reclined in his seat as phone call after phone call rang through his ear, the ringing would almost drive men to insanity.

Luthor cringed.

The ringing…oh the ringing…it was like nails on chalkboards, not because of the actual sound but what they represented. Luthor had sucked in quite a lot of the city's electricity in that '_death-trap_' for the alien, and of course, he had the mayor's approval as well.

A double checkmate for the beloved Superman…

The sour faced multibillionaire/Corporate Titan, held the side of his face with his left hand as he was left alone with his thoughts. He was trying to detangle his mind, so heavily damaged by his contact with the alien. It seemed like forever before he realised his right hand was balled in a fist so tightly that they became as pale as dead corpses.

At first he appeared to be looking at his desk, at his files and papers that he had hidden within his cabinet, highly secured. The files were empty.

Brainiac appears beside him in holographic pixel form, looking behind at the city, and his hands behind his back, straightening his back. Unseen by Luthor, Brainiac Prime was smiling to himself as he ravels in the city's beauty.

Then…Lex's pupils look up, brows furrowed, giving him a menacing appearance. This was not his day. 'Alright, Superman…let's play…'

**-=O=-**

**-=S=-**

**Author's Note: **

**Wow!...what a rush. I had a real blast, both positive and negatively when writing this chapter. It was hectic but I am quite pleased at how this turned out. I hope you guys could guess what all of this means. What people forget is that when Superman is seen as strong or in a way, immortal, he is not impervious to damage. There are adversaries that are more powerful than him when. There really is not much need for such weaknesses as Kryptonite, or even magic, because really, who would stand a chance against pure magic?**

**That is until you explain that magic is a natural element, in which case, Superman could actually learn to utilise it in a way. **

**Another thing, please review after you read, it helps a lot. If not for pure motivation then to correct me in any errors so that I might be able to revisit and correct them later.**


	15. It's All In The Genes

**Chapter Fourteen**

**IT'S ALL IN THE GENES**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**METROPOLIS**_

A young woman exits out of an internet café down on Sixth and puts up her hood, covering her lovely face before walking down the street with her hands in her pockets. Her name is Leanna Octavius Luthor—antisocial daughter of Multibillionaire Lex Luthor and notorious multi-systems hacker. It was never a great shock for her to find out that she had also been named after Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian, the Roman Senator that unified Rome into a single Empire. It was clear to her what her family had in store for her.

She hated it, her family, she hated it with a fury that at times even she could not fathom...that is until she is reminded by the hatred she saw in the eyes of the small people of Metropolis. The rich and powerful, or at least even the ones that did not have to worry about getting in too deep with financial problems, hated her family.

Lex Luthor, Lena, and sometimes even Leanna herself had tasted the ire of the raging mob, her when she was a little girl and her mother had just succumbed to a disease that left her paralysed. Little Leanna walked into the streets to get to the limo set up for her when a mob surrounded her, yelling about God's vengeance on the Luthor household.

Maybe they were right, thought Lea. No Luthor ever produced more than one child before the mother meets her end. She was actually the first Luthor daughter in her family's long and sad tyrannical history.

As she walked she tried to avoid any glares that came her way but she doubted that they could see her. She never really got out much and when she did she had a hoodie on, not wanting the stereotypical lifestyle of one of privilege, she flew under the radar, willingly and quite proudly as well.

She turned into a convenience store run by a Pakistani family she knew well. She picked a packet of strawberry bubble-gum but paused when she had to pay, contemplating on whether she should pay with her credit card or cash.

She placed the card back into her wallet and began her scuttle through her pockets for loose change. She gave Mr Khan an apologetic smile and received one of sympathy in return. 'It is okay, Ms Luthor,' said the Pakistani father of three. 'It is on the house.'

Leanna shook her head, she would not have it. Finally she came up with a scrunched up dollar and some quarters. Khan smiled and took the quarters. She then made her long journey to the docks though did stop to get a slushy from 7-Eleven before continuing on. There was a lot on her mind as she walked, which was the point. She found that walking alone helped her think, cleared her mind, and defragged the information that buzzed wildly. Everywhere she looked on every newsstand was a picture of Clark/Superman, lifting up the car from last week's accident where a Toyota sedan had lost its brakes. Clark had managed to catch it before it seriously injured anyone. It made first page and was still the number one picture of Superman.

She had often wondered if the world was even ready to see him…to see that a Clark even existed. Something like this rendered the future quite unforeseeable, at least to her.

Leanna didn't know exactly what she was signing up for when she befriended Clark, it was more by accident in her opinion, but she did know what she was doing once she found out about Clark's abilities. Clark trusted her with planning everything else afterwards. They were a good team, very efficient, and quite notorious to the criminal underworld in their first two weeks of work.

Nobody noticed her when she walked by, gaze lowered under a grey hood, a hand hidden while the other occupied with holding her slushy, her lips slightly touching the straw. This was the type of feeling she had been looking for ever since she was seven.

At school the boys had called him names, either bug-tooth or snob while the adults called her devil's spawn or snobby rich…or was it bitch? Probably the former, when she was nine and the latter every moment after.

She got to the docksides and headed for the tallest building there. She wiped her hands on her blue jeans so she could place her thumb on the scanners. It didn't open the front doors but it did however, unlock a secret entrance in the subterranean carpark below. Inside, Lea took the lift straight up, skipping the floors where she had other projects started in including a few laboratories.

'_Access Number 002, Granted…Welcome back, Guardian,'_ greeted the tower's computer—it's soul. More accurately _Her _Soul, Leanna thought, considering the voice was feminine.

Her computer had automatically switched on revealing Clark's symbol on the monitors. She put up her online browser and began to search the web, looking at articles pertaining to Metropolis' new hero. There were many rumours and speculations spread across the net but it was the Daily Planet that kept their writings to known facts no matter how little instead of fabricating their own theories.

Once she was satisfied with finding nothing, she closed her tabs and opened up a project from her right computer. A three dimensional diagram of some sort of body armour appeared on the screen. Leanna gestured to the monitor's camera like she was grabbing something and the flicked her hand towards the operations table behind her. The table lit up and there appeared a holographic version of the suit.

The young Luthor got up and examined the piece of technological art. Her own design, and was made to fit her. A high tech suit of armour that was mostly bulletproof and made to enhance human physical resilience to a certain extent, she'd been working on it for months now.

She pointed at a certain part of the suit and another tab opened, her notes pertaining to that particular piece.

It was meant to be interactive, the suit, the computer system was linked to the Watchtower thus shared her voice. But it wasn't finished yet. There were still some bugs that needed fixing. For instance, she had hoped to install rockets to the boots but could not find a way to stabilise flight. The original conception was enhanced ability. To be able to run as fast or leap as high or punch as hard as Clark, but nothing worked.

Leanna looked at the hologram, elbow rested against the table as it held up her chin and she looked at the suit with longing. A rare metallic alloy skin that was as strong as titanium, an arsenal of weapons and gadgets and if she could somehow craft flight stabilisers small enough for the suit then she'd also have flight. 'Hah,' she sighed. Lea longed to join Clark out there in the field one day. A silly, schoolgirlish grin appeared as she thought about it. She'd look freaking awesome in the suit. She then thought back to that Amazonian woman Clark was fighting before.

_Maybe someday_, she whispered to herself.

She closed the hologram and began going through some files. The one question she wanted answers to, surprisingly, was the rock that she'd sent Clark to protect. She opened up Clark's readout. The computer had been reading Clark's vitals at the time. Something had happened to him. His body had reacted, but what Lea could not understand was to what? It was far past the fight he had with that warrior woman, so it wasn't that…but it was something, she knew it was. His organs were displaying symptoms similar to fighting some sort of invasive bacteria. His muscles had weakened, so did his tissue and immune system as well.

'Argh,' she groaned, scratching her head in confusion. What could possibly have such an effect on Clark's internal organs? 'It has to be that fucking rock!'

But what was that "_fucking rock_"?

She'd been doing some an in-depth analysis on the generic traits seeing as she did not have much of a visual when Clark saw it. Within the brown of the dirt and actual rock there was some sort of crystal type substance, or gem. It was green, like jade in a way but it shined like nothing she'd actually seen before on Earth.

She'd spent all night researching minerals and rocks, looking through catalogues, consulting contacts with specifications and even looking through her own collection, but there was no match. From what she'd found out, there was no match on record.

Getting out from her workstation, the young billionaire walked to the elevator and took it a few levels down. There she kept a small gym for herself…considering Clark really had no use for it. She put on some cushioned gloves and began to repeatedly hit a life-sized dummy in certain key pressure points on the body. She wasn't as graceful as some masters, but then again she never was one for grace and beauty, especially not in that sort of art.

Practicality—that was what she was—practical, even during her younger years she'd seen the world through what was needed other than what she could get, and she could get anything. She'd certainly gotten bullied for it.

After a few more rounds she made her way back to Operations. It was quiet. No sound whatsoever, even the computer was silent.

She sighed. Her sigh echoed around her like ghosts. She got back into the elevator and headed to the archives one level below. She kept all of her records and books there. She began to read again through catalogues of rocks, gems and other minerals that matched the green crystal. She found nothing. Soon however, she found her search morphed as she flicked through the books and diaries from explorers, then more explorer entries…then explorer manuals…and finally, explorer fiction.

As a Luthor, Lea never indulged herself in fiction novels or the like. While all the children were reading Harry Potter, she was reading _The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire_ by Edward Gibbons. Then in high school, she refused to read Twilight, instead she found a liking to Bio-entanglement Physics. It was the only thing that made some sense to her.

Still, she had a lot to learn, about everything…and in true Luthor manner—it bugged her. It bugged the crap out of her.

She sighs and the silent air carries it into oblivion. She forgot how empty and quiet it was without Clark. Boy did she wish something would happen that day.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

What had just happened?!

Lea sat at her workstation completely flabbergasted as the dot on her map that represented Clark Kent had simply vanished. 'Superman?' there was no answer. She began to panic. Maybe his communicator had fallen…argh—Lea reprimanded herself for her silliness. Something was blocking the signal…most likely on purpose.

They had gotten info on a group of people robbing Metropolis' main bank at the Financial District. She agreed and deployed the Superman straight away. It had gone on quite well but she noticed the computer readings were going haywire. Something had definitely been wrong.

She needed her head, though it was at present, in chaos, she needed to think straight. Quickly she worked the keys, trying to re-establish the connection…but then it dawned on her. They, however they were that now had Clark, would be looking to do exactly the same. They'd want to look for any connections.

Just as she predicted, the computer had announced that a hack was in progress. Like a bolt of lightning, she had expelled them…and then….hesitating for only a second, she cut off any connections completely. She would not be able to track Clark down, but Watchtower remained their secret.

She expelled a breath from her lungs that had begun suffocating her. What had she done?

The room became dark as her tower entered phantom mode. In the darkness, Lea could feel herself shivering, and tears were beginning to form up. She banged her fists on her desk with frustrated force and swore to herself.

Out of desperation, she tried calling Heather to ask if Clark had come over to her. Naturally, that form of inquisition was a gateway to more questions that she had no answers to.

For the past few hours, Lea had been exhausting every tool at her disposal in tracking her best friend down. It was no use…that was until she looked at the computer with Clark's diagram on it. When she'd begun her research in the possibility of contamination in his body, the few minutes into the mission had confirmed her suspicions.

Clark was being poisoned by unknown traces of harmful ionizing radiation. Whatever the intrusion was, it was attacking his cells, knocking electrons off atoms and create ions. It was like a cancer and Clark's body was not healing fast enough.

She should probably have told Clark about this, but she couldn't be sure. Thus she synthesised a treatment.

But now, Lea was able to use the radiation sample she had and cross-reference it with the signature left behind where she last had Clark on radar. She needed help. The young Luthor took out a personalised cell phone from the underside of her desk and scrolled through the list of classified contacts. 'Hello, Amanda?' she called. 'I need your assistance…Have your team discretely deployed and work on the coordinates I give you…' There was muffling but she got the "Okay." 'I'll be supervising from where I am. Have your team standing by…Watchtower out…'

She reclined further into her seat. She had many secrets, the daughter of Lex Luthor. Secrets were sort of a dominant gene in her family, a trait that silently defines them.

Lea cursed herself, cursed her nature and how it forced her to be…a Luthor.

She took one last look at her suit designs. Reminisced on how she wanted to be a hero, to help people and be admired for it. She frowned when reality dawned on her and she switched the monitor off.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**LEXCORP BUILDING**_

If there was a more awkward and uncomfortable place and situation to be in right now, it would definitely be in Lex Luthor's shoes. He sat at the head of his board table with every member and head around him. The negative in their faces and behaviour was very poorly hidden.

That day, Lex chose to have the meeting in the same board room they planned to share with Wayne Enterprises. They had just fought for a bilateral contract for years. The merger was actually a great idea…up until a few days ago when their CEO magically reappeared to take ownership.

They had just finished listening to Mr Diggle report on the latest development on the government contract with DC. Now there was only silence—an awkward silence to some…but in these instances, Lex saw everything he needed to know in dealing with his company. He did not like what he saw.

There was so many people he knew would have him dead, but he never knew there were so many…in his on board. He knew what they were thinking. It was a topic of many debates and arguing in the meetings.

He'd withdrawn from many contracts that had made them a great deal of profit yet their revenue was going up twelve percent the past month. The fact that Lex Luthor had almost completely pulled his company out of the game was odd in and of itself. They'd been playing at it for years…so what was happening?

'Do you have something to say, Mr Foust?' The head chairman challenged, looking at the eighteen board members seated at his oval. 'I mean you never seem to have a problem with saying anything in the past.'

Foust offered a collected but obviously fake smile. 'Mr Luthor sir, we are just interested in knowing why you had the company pull out of the global market and every government contract—military or not.'

'Is there a point there?'

The middle aged Head of Applied Sciences tried to remain composed and professional, but there was just something etching at him ever since that Atomic Skull fight with Superman turned the lobby into a radioactive testing facility. He did some research… 'We're just curious as to where our money is coming from when sales are on a low, our factories closed and yet everyone in this board and in this building is still getting an income that is increasing bimonthly.'

All that Luthor could offer to Foust's question was an annoyed grin. 'I would have thought you'd learn not to look a gifted horse in the mouth.' He saw Mercy standing tall at the end of the room. Her hand discretely teased the pistol at her side, just visible for her employer to see.

Lex was tempted. Like Eve was when Lucifer gave her the option, he was tempted. Thankfully, Lex was not weak. He was calculating. With a simple gesture that got past the common eye, Ms Graves nodded and her arm relaxed.

Again, Foust smiled superficially. 'Like I said, sir, we were merely curious.'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**WATCHTOWER—9 hours later.**_

Leanna sat at a chair in the opposite room. She was quite relieved but could not help herself from shaking. From her seat she could see Heather Kelley by a barely conscious Clark Kent. 'I'd say today was actually a successful turn of events.' She looked up to see Dr Hamilton placing the equipment into the sink to be disinfected. 'The contaminants are receding. Soon he'll be up and ready for a brief examination.'

She smiled weakly at him. The room was filled now with an entire squad of criminals and killers, most were definitely high functioning psychopaths. Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot, George Harkness the Australian agent, Benjamin Turner and of course the eccentric harlequin, Harley Quinn formed what her contact Waller had called Task Force X. As she saw them though, Deadshot with his one mechanical eye, fumbling around, Harkness, sharpening his boomerang, then there was Ben, trying at every turn to hit on Heather.

There were a lot more going on here than she understood, at least completely. Each one these people are wanted by the law for steeling, for treason, for killing.

'It's quite a team you got here, little Sparrow.'

Still a little teary, Lea gave him a nod. 'They're not mine,' she corrected him. 'Amanda has a certain interest in The Superman and her interests, no matter the details, happen to coincide with mine for the time being.'

'Fair enough,' But Emile wanted to bring something else up that troubled him. He had been working for Lex Luthor for years now. An old family friend by now, had also been the origin of Leanna's interest in science. He knew when the little Luthor was being a little less than truthful or open. 'Are you alright? You seem a little unease.'

Leanna thought on his question for a while. Ultimately she smiled at him and with reassurance, told him she was just fine. But Dr Hamilton was not buying it.

'I'm just waiting for a compound analysis on the contaminant,' the doctor explained. 'You got any guesses on what it is exactly?'

The young billionaire lifted her shoulders in an inquisitive shrug. 'It's not a combination I'm familiar with, not on this planet anyway.'

There were a hundred things Dr Hamilton wanted to say to that, but he decided against it when he saw that poor, pleasing look on her face. He excused himself and made for the door but before he exited, he paused before looking around him. She looked so dismayed, so troubled. 'Leanna,' he said. 'Secrets and lies are the creed that built your family legacy…but you don't need to live by them.'

When he went, Lea closed the door and shut herself in. What had her life come to?

Not a day had gone by where she didn't look at herself, her name and not cringe at it. Ever since she was a little girl, her father had groomed her, conditioned her in the art of power. Secrets and lies…they were her weapons now, and she was learning, efficiently, how to utilise them.

There was a safe in the left hand corner at the far back. She opened it, if not just for the curiosity, the green glow shone on her face but also had her transfixed. She probably should have said something earlier. It might have been easier to cure him if she'd gotten the radiation out of him sooner. For God's sake she nearly lost her best friend.

But at the moment, no one knew about this…she could use that.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**CENTRAL DATA FILTER NEXUS. **_

_**COORDINATES: CLASSIFIED.**_

In a world obsessed with obtaining as much control as it could, there is a place filled with people, that monitor everything the world says, does…thinks. A central hub for all forms of digital information, monitored every microsecond by agents and scientists. The world's only supercomputer housed, copied, and filtered data and information in less time than a blink of an eye.

How it worked was simple. Everything people type in, even accidentally, every message they send, every picture they take and delete, every voice they record, everything digital is connected by a network that intercepts the data. Devices don't even need to be on. Then the filter program created by LexCorp isolates them, then categorises them, the ones that were clean are sent off, the ones of interest get sent to the reading rooms. In some instances, that was where lag sometimes came from.

Nothing goes unchecked.

That was the way of the world nowadays. Paranoid…and sometimes, Bret Harrington thought it had good reason to be. More than half of the messages that passed through their digital gates were linked to terrorist activity, either schematics for a homemade bomb or plans to hack the stock exchange.

Some of the things that these Religious Extremist types plan on doing just freaked the heck out of him.

He was in Reading Room 52, a massive dark room with only the blue light of computer monitors for visibility. He was on break and his station was taken over by Steel. He walked down the dimly lit corridors, sipping a cup of hot coffee from the machine at the lounge. He cringed…the coffee sucked. But then again, it was the only one he would ever get.

He got to a checkpoint where his DNA card opened the door to the system's mainframe. Usually employees got a turn to go into there and just marvel at the artistry of it all. Where one could actually see the information being processed which took many forms of light streams.

That was when he stopped. There was a figure in the dark a cool room. The light streams centres on him. A tall man with green skin and what appeared like purple boils all over his head. Yet…somehow…he seemed like he wasn't really there.

That notion however was discarded swiftly when the man turned around. 'I'm sorry…but can I help you?' Harrington asked, quivering a little.

The jade skinned man smiled. Bret decided he didn't much like it.

'Don't mind me,' said the mysterious green man. 'I just have this weird obsession with knowing things.' He then began to walk to him. The many coloured streams of light following him, like he could not move without the light. 'Knowing everything…but sadly for you, there is such a thing as knowing…too much.'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=S=-**

**Author's Note: I own nothing in the DC Universe. It's a rich and diverse universe with many twists and turns and a history spanning more than eighty years. I do hope that I do these characters (in FanFiction or not) justice. In a world so obsessed with darkness, in beings of the night like Batman, I've found solace in more brighter characters. Don't get me wrong though. I love Batman and ultimately badass characters, but Superman is awesome. Even with all of his powers, I see he's more the underdog when it comes to popularity which then somehow affects his character in comics. Like Batman being able to defeat him. Sorry, I just had to say it. **


	16. True Colours

**Chapter Fifteen**

**TRUE COLOURS**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**WATCTOWER**_

Harley in a skimpy nurse version of her gothic clown getup had come into the Med Room with a bowl of warm, clean water and a cloth on a silver tray. She placed the tray on the table standing on the other side. She stopped when she noticed something quite odd…

Was it the open window letting in a cold breeze? She walked to the window and closed it just to be sure. Was it the dim lighting? No that was how this room always was.

Was it Heather? No, that reporter slut had gone in for work… She got it! Was it the fact that Clark Kent was missing? She paused, looking at the empty medical bench with a slanted head. Nah…she shrugged dismissively and walked out of the room, headed to Leanna Luthor's office. The door was only slightly ajar so she could see the rich girl seated by an open safe with green light emanating from within.

'Excuse me, little miss,' she addressed. 'The Doc's on his way for that examination…what's that?'

Leanna was a little startled, clutching the green diamond protectively. 'Ah, this…it's a battery source for my suit of—'

'Don't care.' Harley stopped her. She was about to move on when she shouted back, 'Oh and Mr Kent's missing, thought you'd want to know.'

It did take a few seconds to register it but when it dawned on her…she shot up from her seat. 'What?' she exclaimed and bolted for the Med Room.

That make-up catalyst was right—Clark had disappeared from his bed. No trace whatsoever. Lea could not believe it. She had lost her best friend yet again, she knew she wasn't as familiar to friendships as others her age, but to lose sight of a friend while he was still under her roof was just ridiculous.

Fortunately, Lea remembered her earlier studies of her singular friend. She ran to the stairs and up onto the very top of the building. Watchtower's dome had a side hatch that led to the building's centre point. It sometimes freaked her out because she'd actually known a few employees that fell from there. Nonetheless, she climbed out onto the ledge outside the dome.

To her relief, she found a tall figure on the right, at the corner of the ledge. He stood tall, his arms outstretched and shirtless as the morning sun's orange rays embraced him, after three days in the dark. He did however have on his army pants and combat boots. 'You scared the shit outta me, Clark.'

The young man simply chuckled, lightly but did not move. When Lea crawled up to him, she saw he had his eyes closed and a large and satisfied grin. 'Have you ever felt so content that it feels like you could live forever just by knowing it?'

'You've lost me there, buddy, and that's saying a lot.'

'I'm talking about belief,' Clark replied gently. 'I felt dead a few hours ago but under the sun…I feel like I know I'll be fine. It's like the sun's giving me its strength and power.'

Actually Leanna knew what he meant. 'I suppose I should have mentioned this before but I believe you powers actually originate from the sun's radiation.'

Clark considered this for a moment and finally found satisfaction in her statement. It made sense, how weak he felt after three days underground with no contact with sunlight. But then it dawned on him, a thought that left him a little sad. 'What else don't I know about myself?'

She saw her friend close to tears. Taking her chance she slowly got to her feet and in careful strides she got to his side and placed a comforting hand on his bare shoulder. 'To be fair, no one truly knows everything about how their own body works.'

Clark shook his head, eyes opened and suddenly his face grew angry. She swore she even saw a small glimmer of the red of his laser. 'Your dad knows,' he simply said and turned to her. 'He knows everything about me.'

Lea was shocked. 'Are you sure? Maybe he was lying to get a reaction out of you?'

Well it worked, Clark thought. 'He said I was a Kryptonian. Plus it doesn't really matter if they are true or not,' he told her. 'Your father has information that he could potentially use against me. I need to do something.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

'…_yeah, yeah, Superman just appeared out of nowhere and helped me evacuate the building,' said _the man being interviewed by The Planet. '_Then that tank just ripped through the walls and the man just flew into the sky.'_

At the holdings of Lex Luthor's corporate hub, Luthor had had no sleep whatsoever for the past few days. 'Now he defies gravity?!' He sat with his back to his desk and his eyes on the magnificent city his family built. He was not always one to watch the news, not when he could just as easily get to the source, proven and confirmed. But this was more public opinion. 'The most powerful man in the world is just a child?!'

'_He came back again and there was literally no scratch on him. He like kicked them terrorist's ass, it was damn awesome.'_

Then another man had come in to shot where Lois Lane held the mic up to, '_I owe Superman not only my life but the life of my family,' _the man spoke into the mic ecstatically. '_It's good to see someone actually doing something. I mean the tank took all of two hours to get to us, apparently leaving a trail of destruction and yet no one tried to warn us, the cops weren't doing anything and the Mayor won't even compensate us!'_

Lois reclaimed the mic and smiled to the camera. '_And there you have it, folks. For those people who were sceptical about who Superman was or questioned whose side he was on…me included—here is a man using such powers not for his own personal gain but perhaps he just wants to help out— a hero—' _

'These people owe me their lives,' Luthor growled as he turned off the monitor. _I built them…I made this city the jewel of the United States—the centre of technological innovation_._ I was Prometheus! I was a god!_

'And you will reap what you sowed of them, Alexander.' The Brainiac Prime appeared from the monitor on his desk, in full form beside him. 'They do not know how to use the gifts you give them. Soon they will return to you.'

Luthor disagreed. 'Ever since your arrival and the emergence of _The Superman_, people no longer see the power I hold,' he said, he spat out the name _Superman_ with disgust, looking at the newspaper in front of him. The Inquisitor displayed an article from a few days ago when The Superman rescued a group of orphans when their own home fell upon them, had made the front page. There he was, a picture of him lifting up some beams and letting out the children from underneath. _THOSE WITHOUT FAMILY HAVE THE SUPERMAN INSTEAD, By Ron Troupe, _read the headline. 'I offered him a chance to be a benevolent god with me as the messenger…the prophet, as has been the tradition since the evolution of mankind. He refuses?'

'Kryptonians were known to be headstrong, arrogant, and foolish at times, but sooner or later he will have no choice but to accept the nature of reality.' Lex regarded him for a while as he moved to the desks and tables. The books in front of Brainiac began to flip open of its own accord without even touching the pages. But then again, this form of the Interactive construct was but mere pixels so it probably won't be able to touch anything. 'Beyond mere intellect, my constructs possess the ability to manipulate matter to a certain degree. Like your concept of enlightenment and magic, if you will.'

Lex laughed. 'I believe that the prospect of Tactile Telekinesis is more than just myth and magic. I myself have delved into that field more than once in my scholarly years.'

'Yes, that is correct.' Brainiac smiled approvingly. 'Accessing Harvard Records…Listing…Luthor, Alexander…' he smiled. 'Your analysis on unlocked neuro science is quite interesting.'

'You read my thesis…just now?'

Brainiac did not seem to understand his confusion. 'Human brain capacity is held back by morality, law and the small portion of the brain dedicated to any sign of hope.'

'Why is that?' Luthor thought to ask him. Curious on what a semi biological mind held on the matter.

At first Brainiac remained motionless as if he was at a loss for an answer. Still, understandable. 'Power…it is not a requirement for survival. Psychokinesis is power and in truth…it may lead to the downfall of your race.'

'And emotions are required for human survival?'

Again, the interactive construct paused, 'Possibly.'

The two entities said nothing as they seemed too enclosed in their own pocket universes. It was like the powers between them squirmed to one then the other in an awkward tug of war for possession. Luthor seemed to get past this however and continued on his inquiries. 'So what shall we do about the Kryptonian?'

Devoid of emotions, Brainiac began to recall his speculations, though however short they were. 'The Son of El is young, unimpressionable but also...I sense a trait shared by his father—a hopefulness.'

'You know the Superman's father?'

'He and I have a…complicated history…' It was clear he did not want to disclose such tales. 'But what I can disclose is the innovations that he pioneered on Krypton.' He then opened up another hologram, this time in the shape of some sort of vessel, clearly for space travel. 'I can show you, and as for the Superman…'

'Don't worry,' Lex told him with a sly and knowing grin, considering the information he now held and that holographic design was giving him a whole barrage of ideas. 'I can deal with him.' Luthor got to his feet and began pacing across the office. 'Right now they regard him as a hero. I've seen this before, many times. It won't take long before they look up to him as a god. How do you bring down a god? Like the God of the Hebrews, the Muslims and the Christians…you give their followers all of His secrets, and let them do the rest.' Luthor stopped in the middle of the window, his stance had regained its usual firm posture as he felt power return to him. 'I have enough information now to paint a picture…any picture I want.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

'That guy who healed me, who was he?'

Lea looked at Clark for a while. He seemed to be in good health once again. 'Part of a working team, Dr Emil Hamilton used an experimental treatment to expel the radiation from your system.'

Clark nodded, 'Yeah but who is he? Can we trust him?'

Leanna nodded at him uncertainly. 'Yes of course we can. He was my tutor when I was a little girl. He was the door that introduced me to science,' then she stopped and her eyes became unfocussed. 'He works for my dad though.'

Again, all Clark could do was nod, though there were thoughts swimming around in his head. By now he was in no mood to trust anyone from LexCorp. Regardless of the fact he saved his life…he was always for giving people the benefit of the doubt but he saw the man in the room where they tortured him. 'And that's what gives you the impression of trust?'

She knew it was going to come to this, she glanced at his hands, then darted to his ocean blue orbs. 'Listen…we just can, okay!'

He considered questioning more, but in the end he just nodded. 'Whatever,' he said, half dismissively. The truth was that he'd felt so helpless and scared, even after waking up, even after feeling his powers return, he was afraid. He looked down at his hands, he'd never even realised he'd had them clenched into a red and purple ball.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**Three Weeks Later…**_

_**LOCATION:**_

_**METROPOLIS**_

It came like shouting in his ears, especially from the streets. So he had opted to take the very top of Metropolis where he could hear things more clearly. Clark stood at the edge of the tallest skyscraper he could find and under the mystic glow of the moon, he stood and listened.

He heard cries and wails, men, women, children in anguish, crying for a saviour. Clark clenched his fists at their pain. One in particular, a little boy watches as his father beats his mother in their kitchen. The husband, drunk and furious smashes plates and hits her while their five year-old son watches helplessly. Clark has a mind to go in and help out…but suddenly the hard knocking of their door and the police apprehending the man had sated his fury.

Clark sighed his relief. With hope, the family would be out of harm's way. It made him uneasy, but Lea had instructed him to categorise whatever he hears into priorities. It made some sense, there were things that the police could completely handle or was not out of hand. He did not have to be there to help.

Maybe it would have been easier if he could not hear their suffering every morning before he got his head on straight and his filter kicks in.

That night atop one of the city's tall buildings, Clark kept watch of the lives below as he usually does from time to time. But there was something else he needed to do and that was to find a group of street gangs that would soon get their hands on a shipment of military grade weaponry. From where they were getting this from, the police's contacts could not say. Top of their list was a foreign extremist group wanting to create discord in the system.

Their lie detectors could unveil his heartbeat, but Clark could hear everything, his eyes could see everything, and he knew the contact was lying. Or at the very least was less than forthcoming with his information.

Lois and Clark had done some digging, been on stake-outs and turned every stone in the criminal underworld that talked and whispered. It was like a city of itself. It had its own rules, its own systems. They found the name of the gangs involved and it appeared they were assembling somewhere at the Eastern docks far into Suicide Slum.

A ship had docked an hour earlier under LexCorp pretence of military artillery returned from a sour deal. That was why Mercy had to personally oversee their return. The Western Harbour was far too busy and returning crates would be quite embarrassing. The Eastern Docks were the only options now.

She had fifteen LexCorp trucks standing by and more than fifty men at her beck and call. They all lined up behind her, like soldiers ready for war. All dressed in casual attire with Graves wearing camouflage army pants and boots, a black tank top and brown leather jacket. She had her gun in its holster and her hands on her hips. 'Alright, you worthless A-Holes, we've got four hours to get everything out of here and back to Applied Sciences,' she barked and they followed without question. Every one of them knew better than to ask Mercy Graves questions.

From the ship they opened up about two thirds of their cargo, emptying out more than forty-seven by the two hours mark and loading the first ten trucks with guns and ammunition, most if not all were in prototype stage. It was actually Mr Foust that ordered their mass production. Lex did not find out until much later but by then it was too late. So, instead, Lex would have the weapons tested discretely by the Iraqi Army Force. But now that contract had ended.

Lex had one other plan in the works. It was risky but had two options if they succeeded, each of which worked in his favour.

Mercy gathered the truck drivers in a close circle. They were not her most trusted and she meant what she said when she called them useless. Strangely enough, that was why they were her perfect pick. 'Listen, we've got twenty routs to take back to LexCorp. The routs are wired into your GPSs in the trucks, stick with them no matter what and you're all good.'

They all nodded and the second half of their operations was in progress.

Meanwhile, the shadows of Southeast Metropolis came to life. Monsters from every walks of life, but they weren't the ones that hide under the bed or in closets. They did not have any natural inborn super abilities. They were normal human beings. The trouble is centred more on the type of human they were.

Mankind understood many years ago that the main key to survival often came in numbers. But numbers were not just survival, but ultimately it was power. Sometimes when you live in a world governed by laws you can't follow, the only options are to create laws that you can.

Apart from the Triads, Mafia and the more diverse Street Gangs, there were also the little gangs that wanted a piece of the action, small time lowlifes who were no better than crooks and thugs. Morgan Edge often found himself among them and for a sixteen year-old, that was not a positive aspect of his life.

Drafted into the Red Hood gang when he was eleven by his older brother, he was taught the way of life, how it was perceived out in the streets…and his family suffered for it.

He promised his mom though, that soon, he'd enrol for a business course at Met U. He had the marks for it, and the Chance Scholarship would definitely land him maybe an international contract after five years. He could finally make it.

But tonight…he had a job. On the mid platform of the fire escape, Edge and Mort had top side while Nathan Edge, his brother had ground.

Mort was on the phone, judging by the conversation it was Nathan. '…okay, fine. We'll stay in position.' He put the cell phone away, looking past Morgan and to the street below. 'You're brother says the trucks are on the way. Minimal security and a couple of blind spots.' He then gave the kid his pistol. 'Whatever happens, Slick—don't miss.'

Morgan was terrified more than nervous. All he could really do was nod and take the gun.

Now, normally, those guns weren't meant for long range sniping, but the young Edge had never been in such a large scale gun fight and someone needed to watch over him. Mort wasn't even given a choice on the matter, usually he was feared, but tonight, he was a babysitter.

'I know how to handle a gun, Mort!'

The older gangster chuckled but said nothing, probably figured it not worth putting any more attention on.

They waited for a few more minutes before a convoy of unmarked trucks turned the corner. At first it looked like nothing, just a couple of trucks, maybe moving furniture or something. But Nathan had just told them that it was them, their targets. LexCorp was moving a very substantial arsenal back to the armoury.

All military grade weapons, this was what the Red Hoods believed would give them the edge in their game, the advantage to survive. Even though he did everything he could to hide it, Morgan could see Mort licking his lips with anticipation and overall, excitement. This was what they were all waiting for as the truck moved through the narrowing buildings.

'NOW!'

Nathan gave the order and from the walls sprouted men and women in crimson hoodies, UZIs in their hands as they fired upon the armoured trucks. Morgan was slightly caught off guard but managed to follow on and begin firing.

On the ground, the drivers were taken by surprise but they weren't unprepared and were armed to the teeth with semi-automatic firearms. But the gang had numbers going for them and the LexCorp drivers found themselves swiftly overwhelmed. Their bulletproof windshield and windows were of no help when the pack ripped open the doors and dragged them out.

It was a riot down there. Morgan felt a strange sense of security only watching from their nest. All that blood, the death…Morgan tried to look away—'

'Keep watching,' said Mort. 'Nathan wants you to see everything this time. He'll know if you weren't watching.'

Edge understood that all too well it was sad to say. Big brother always got what he wanted eventually, and right now, he wanted him to see what hell looked like.

It took no time at all for the Red Hood to dispatch the drivers and the security team guarding the weapons. Soon they were all standing with military grade weapons in their giddy hands. Morgan reached to grab an MP5 Sub-Machine gun from one of the crates when a hand swatted the gun from him. 'Hey what the fuck, Nathan?!' he exclaimed.

'This aint a common Beretta pistol, Morgan,' he pointed at the weapon previously his. 'This is military 9 millimetre submachine gun. This aint a kid's toy, little brother,' he said before turning to Mort. 'We've just gotten word from Flynn that the Italians and the Triads are meeting up at the docks. I want you to grab Beta and take the South Entrance.'

Morgan scowled at his brother but ultimately said nothing else as he led his newly armed gang further into the depths of Suicide Slum. He had to admit, he was a little scared. He never expected to get into war so early on. Mort told him to stay close and above everything else, to remain hidden. Morgan cringed at him, 'Fuck you, Mort.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

The Docks were deserted, no one there to see, or hear the flow of history shift. Sean and his Triad battalion stood in wait at pier seven, their guns at the ready and the environment on their side. Soon enough though, the Italians had arrived in their fancy armoured limos and Alfa Romeos.

Everyone wore anxious and worried faces. The two parties met at the secluded black roads anxiety passed through them equally. Their fingers weren't trigger-happy but the thought was constantly on their minds. As per the laws of the streets, only one gang could rule over the district. Suicide Slum however, was seen more of a strategic advantage.

The Eastern Docks were a quiet place not often patrolled by the police…in fact Suicide Slum was strictly a no-man's-land where Law-enforcement was concerned—home to not just gangsters but cop-killers, murderers and serial rapists.

Sean stood before the Mafia. Silvano Vetra examined the Chinese gangster, keeping a sly smile like he knew something was going on. It filled Sean with an uneasy stabbing in the pit of his stomach. 'Stick to the rules and there shall be no blood spilt tonight,' the Italian spoke.

Sean agreed. 'As usual, we divide the districts according to what benefits our agendas. This year we request the Eastern Docks.'

The Italians bobbed their heads in agreement. 'My uncle wants the Financial District for now.'

They continued to negotiate the future of their organisations, meanwhile the Red Hood gang had moved into position. Nathan signalled for Mort and Andre to get topside, armed now with Military RPGs.

Soon it was done, they were all in position and Nathan gave a simple hand gesture to signal his pack. Soon they will never have to live in fear of the big league gangs. The Triad, the Vetra Crime Family, and with their new weapons, the Yakuza and all the rest of them would follow. Suicide Slum was their turf now.

One of the Italians had just gotten off a phone call, his face looking distressed though it seemed he was trying to hide it. He moved to Silvano's ear and the Mafia lieutenant's face went into shock. He looked at the Triads. 'This night of all nights you choose to break the terms of peace?'

Sean Li looked around him, baffled, he saw his entourage wore that same expression. 'I have no idea what you mean, signori.'

Then, just like that, the Italians drew their guns. Sean had no choice but to match them.

'I know we've had our differences, Sean,' the Italian started. 'We've both seen violence…but kidnapping of children?'

The twenty-nine year old Chinese man held his pistol at Silvano's head, he knew he was not doing a good job at hiding the fear in his mind. 'I told you, I don't know what you're talking abou. What kidnapping?'

'_Fire_!' they heard and from out of the darkness the slums provided, the Red Hood, a gang of small-time street rats—but that night, they were something different. They began releasing ammo on them while the other gangs returned the gesture in kind. Then out from the skies, a red and blue bird dropped with an earth shaking thud, landing in the middle of the fife just in time to intercept their bullets into his hands. Clark spun around, simultaneously allowing focused beams from his eyes that destroyed the oncoming shots and some of the weapons. But he sensed a greater danger—LexCorp prototypes.

Already he sensed one of them was heating up, ready to combust…someone on the roof was getting ready to fire a rocket…something was jammed but the rocket was still set to explode. Clark leapt to the nearby roof where Mort was struggling with a malfunctioning launcher. It began to shake. Clark quickly took the weapon from his hands and sent it far into the night skies.

Down below, reeling in from sudden confusion, some of the gangsters had split. In the chaos, Morgan saw his opportunity and rushed down to his brother. Both Sean and Silvano Vetra, second in command for their respective organisations, unarmed and helpless. He saw Nathan had dropped his new rifle. Supposedly it fired smart bullets that actually followed each other, as long as the first shot hit the mark or was close, the other shots would follow.

Morgan ran to it and was finally given the chance to hold up their new guns, he had just aimed and his finger slightly pressed the trigger when it started to vibrate violently.

Before Edge could even react to it, Clark had come down and snatched the gun from him. He chucked it up into the sky and with heat-vision, helped the gun's quick build up in pressure which resulted in a smaller explosion above.

Edge, completely left in awe, watched as the Superman leaped forward and straight through a building to his right, away from the docks.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

The politics of life outside the law is a concept so fragile it crumbled at the very sight of fear. Honour, morality, respect, they were all ash when fear was rampant. In this case, it was the fear of power that compelled the Triads to abduct the son of Mafia Boss Giovanni Vetra.

The boy's name was Michael, and he has turned eleven that night when they kidnap him, moments before the _Dividing_.

Giovanni was a powerful man and it was his patience that gained him that power. When his maid informed him that his son was taken…he forced himself to show no emotion. He kept it quiet, showed no weakness while his friends quested for him. But if his red, balled fists were any indication, one would say he was distressed beyond humanly possible.

Back at the abandoned apartment, four of the Red Hoods waited, guarding their captive with heavy prejudice and suspicion. They would not be fooled by the boy's innocent look or his tears, he was the son of the Mafia Crime Boss and bound by his fate.

They held Michael in a chair, strapped by the wrists and ankles, and silenced by duct-tape over his mouth. His brown orbs wind shielded by salty tears.

The boy tried to speak but they came out as muffled, incoherent sounds. Eventually it got on their nerves and one of the female Hoods hit him across the face with the back of her gun. 'Shut up, you good-for-nothing son of a bi—'

'Casey, language,' Steve reprimanded his sister.

The Hooded woman groaned and brushed her brother off as he approached the window.

They all drew out their weapons when the door opened, luckily they didn't open fire as it turned out, Josh came with a box of platinum plated guns. 'You guys missed the opening,' he jested as he passed the guns to his friends. Casey examined his firearm. It looked so strange.

'What's the ammo type?'

Josh smirked. 'Nathan said it shoots ultra-intensity lasers, is gas propelled and untraceable. It's full out deadly, bro.'

To that Casey only laughed and suddenly held the gun at the Michael—right at his head. 'How about we test that?'

Josh thought about this for a moment. It was not part of the plan, but they were certainly itching for it ever since they acquired the kid. 'I don't think Edge wants the kid dead.' He gestured for her to lower her gun but she chose to ignore him.

That was until a loud bang from outside, a few blocks away at the docks. They saw Casey's lips widened into a menacing half-smile. She looked down at the boy's fearful eyes. 'Looks like you're time is up, Mr Vetra.'

It would have been done in a flash, as quick as a blink of an eye for normal standards. But for him…for Clark Kent, it took forever…an eternity, for her finger to press the trigger. In which case, the walls shook and finally exploded where to his eyes bricks hovered in suspended animation around him. He rushed through the field of stillness. He'd seen the gun miles away and heard the phone call just as the war began.

He hated organised crime. It signalled that they came beyond the need to break the law. You see, Clark believed that everything had a purpose, had a reason behind them. His father taught him to see the world beyond the present. That there was a reason behind the madness—that a man who holds a bank at gunpoint desperately looks for a way to provide for his children who are so stricken with poverty that their life expectancy dwindles by a thread.

Crime was a product of emotions, most prominently of anguish and rage. It was chaos—unpredictable and random. But when organised crime comes into the picture, it does not become a rational product of emotions. It becomes sport, often played with the lives of those around it.

He hated the very prospect of crime for no other reason than fun.

As he moved through the frozen scenario, he examined their faces. The Hoods, Michael Vetra. He hated crime, but this boy…he was yet an innocent. He did not know him personally but from what he could gather Michael was not an unpleasant boy.

But there was another danger. The gun the Hoods were using…unstable. He could already see the mechanics inside falling apart. He took hold of the gun and careful not to snap her hand, swiped it out of the room before it combusted into flames. The room was quiet for a moment. 'One last chance, he spoke to them. Leave before the cops get here or I take you straight to them.' His words, his voice resonated with his frustrations and anger at them. They did not even have to consider what they were going to answer and just bolted out of the room.

He turned to the boy, teary and red faced. When Clark untied him the boy jolted onto him, hugging him tightly. 'Boy am I glad to see you, Superman,' he said, excited and relieved.

Clark wanted to correct him on the name but chose better of it. 'Don't worry, kid. You're safe now.'

He was still crying. 'I told them that you'd come for me. They said that you don't rescue people like me…criminals.'

Superman sighed. 'I don't…but you're not a criminal.'

They stopped their hugging and Michael looked at his eyes, puzzled. 'But my dad's like…you know…he's—'

'You don't have to be like your father,' he told him, his voice gentle, mimicking perhaps his own mother's soothing tone. 'And none of his actions should determine how you live your life and how you affect other people's.'

The boy wiped away his tears and nodded at him. Across the slums, Lea had heard her best friend talking to the boy. She was obliged as the troubled best friend to consider them.

Clark got back up onto his feet as the police began entering the room. Heading the team was that detective that he'd seen around. At first they were all frozen to their spots. Detective Jones just stared at him, eyebrows furrowed and strangely Clark could feel his presence, like he was in his mind. Then the detective sheathed his gun. They all followed where Jones then gave him a slight affirming nod. Clark returned it understandingly and then The Superman was gone again.

They collected the boy and several of the men involved in the almost war. The Triads, the Mafia, even some of the Red Hood members were apprehended that night.

On the rooftop of a fifteen story building overlooking the docks, Morgan Edge waited for the Superman to appear. He waited for fifteen minutes before he showed—tall with that stylised S etched on his chest. He wasn't sure if he'd actually showed but was grateful that he did.

Clark waited for him to speak.

'I just…I just wanted to thank you for earlier. They were prototype guns.'

Clark shook his head. 'You shouldn't have guns at all.'

Morgan shrugged. 'When you live in Suicide Slums, they're needed. It isn't against the law as long as you have a license.' Still, Superman looked at him with disapproval. 'I just…wanted to say thanks.'

Clark then moved to the edge. 'I should say thank you as well; for the information. I wouldn't have known to look otherwise.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

It was a successful night, according to Leanna and while Clark was on his way back to Watchtower, feeling quite tired. He was only half-way back when in a sudden burst of sounds rang into his ears. The abruptness and the pain the sounds caused in his ears had him miss a stop and propelled him all the way to the streets below.

He got up from a mess of huge steel bins that he'd totalled on entry and struggled down the alleyway in a disorientated manner.

The man with super enhanced hearing could no longer hear anything else but the ringing and it was driving him insane…that was when a voice accompanied the chaotic ringing. _There is only one creature in Metropolis with less than four legs that can hear this frequency, Superman._ Clark, clutching his ears tried to look for the source of the feed. It was undoubtedly Lex Luthor's voice. _On our last encounter you refused my offer of alliance, of leadership. You look down upon us like a god but I have an advantage…I know what you are and I will show the world the terrible truth._

Clark tried to help himself up, using a nearby dumpster for support. There was still ringing in his ear, Luthor's voice echoing around in his head even louder this time. _I will unleash the truth upon the world, Superman…and then you will see the chaos that I have warned you of…Check…_

Then as suddenly as it started, the whistling stopped. His ears, though a little sore, was free of the voice. His heart was beating like a jet engine, like it was about to jump out of his chest at any time soon. He shook his head of a weariness taste the ringing had left behind and took in his surroundings quick. The back alleyway was deserted and he was grateful for that. Slowly he moved towards the clearing, still clutching the side of his head.

Then the fact hit him. Luthor knew everything about him and was blackmailing him with it that fact. 'Watchtower, did you get any of that?'

'…_sorry, Clark, but that frequency had intercepted ours,_' Leanna replied. '_I had to cut off the feed and make sure my dad couldn't trace it to us._'

Clark sighed in frustration but he understood the need for caution and begun recounting her father's words. 'I need to do something, Lea. I need to counter the threat. Make the board work in my favour.'

He heard Lea's chuckle over the earpiece. '_Dude, that actually sounds like something I would do,_' she said ecstatic. '_You have learnt much, my young padawan apprentice._'

Clark smiled and tried again to go topside. 'Have any ideas on where to start?'

'_No clue at the moment. What about you?_'

There was silence for a few moments before Clark responded, 'I have one idea. Get the information into the right hands so it comes out when I want to. That way, at least we'll be on par with Luthor.'

'You know, it's quite disturbing the way to use my last name like that, despite it used heavily in reference to my dad.'

Clark laughed and apologised.

In roughly eleven minutes, he finally got to the top of the Daily Planet building, the giant golden globe spinning at the same angle and direction as that of the Earth's.

On the roof, Planet Reporter Lois Lane often found her way to the top when the office had gotten stressful. She took out a packet of cigarettes intent on lighting them when a gust of wind blew the lighter off. She thought it peculiar and tried lighting it again which held the same result.

'You know you really shouldn't smoke Ms Lane.' Lois jumped at the man's voice behind her.

A figure, hidden, partially in the shadows but she could spot the etched letter S inside the shield, trying to blend in with the rest of the jacket. By that point it was obvious who he was and she immediately felt nervous and jumpy at the same time. She chuckled, a way to lessen that awkward feeling. 'Let me guess, lung cancer, right?'

Although she had said that jokingly, Clark examined her vitals and smirked. 'Well, not yet, thank goodness.'

With her back to him, Lois' orbs became as large as saucers. Quickly she gazed down at her chest, hopefully where her lungs were. What the...could he…?

'Forgive me, Ms Lane, I did not mean to pry.'

'N…no, no, no, no…ah…you didn't…' She was stumbling with her words. She expects she sounds quite pathetic at that moment. 'I mean…I was going to go for a check-up next week anyway.' She then moved closer to him in order to get a better look but froze when he packed further into the darkness. 'Why won't you let me see you? Everyone else has.'

'They've only ever had a quick glance or I've covered my face under a hat or shades,' he answered. 'I can't let people know who I am. It'll make too many changes that I'm not ready for…but I want to change that.'

Lois was beginning to feel a little confused. 'You're…here for an interview?'

The shadowy figure stood silent for a moment but soon confirmed her. Her face lit up and she eagerly searched her bag for her personal recorder. Clark gave her a half smile, 'It's in the right pocket.' She looked over her shoulder and shot him an annoyed and patronised look. 'Sorry…force of habit.'

When she finally found her equipment, she rounded on him with the first two questions on her mind. 'What are you? Why are you here?'

Clark sighed. 'If I tell you, you must promise me that you'll keep it secret until I tell you the time is right.'

'Do you really have such little faith in the people you've helped?'

Clark shook his head but was uncertain if she'd seen. All the same, he did not mind. 'It's more complicated than that. The truth is. I'm not completely sure myself…but there is someone out there that does and if I have him correctly figured out, he can use that advantage as a weapon.'

It took a while for the Daily Planet Reporter to digest his words but being around Military men all her life, she got the whole knowledge and information are power thing. She bobbed her head with a confidence she'd built up over the years. She was ready.

Again, Clark took in a deep breath. 'I'm not from around here…' when he saw her dumfounded look he knew that wasn't enough. 'I'm…I'm from another planet. By the information I got it's a place called Krypton.' He then turned to look up at the moon, leaving Ms Lane in a daze. 'Wherever I'm from, it has a different environment that my genetic structure is designed around. But here, my genetic code is a stranger.'

'That's why you seem to be able to do things that other people can't?' She offered correctly.

'I suppose so,' he said a little uncertain. 'Like I said, I don't know everything.'

Lois nodded. She then approached him, still cautious not to look directly at him. She could guess it was a huge leap for him, to come out like this. Someone he should not trust—the media in general did have a bad reputation these days. She decided to ask him on the subject.

Clark merely shrugged. 'I've been following your work, Ms Lane. Despite the many times you've concealed information or were forced to twist the truth, your style of writing, sarcasm or references that seem out of context, helped break your own lies. I believe you're a good person.' He then let out quick chuckle. 'I particularly liked that piece you did on that fundraising banquet held in Gotham City a few years ago. You recounted the events and the cause behind it but also noted indirectly the real reason rich people hold those types of fundraisers is to boost their own egos, it's not about the actual fundraising.'

'Why thank you,' she blushed at the praise yet a little surprised at her work being brought up so specifically. 'You know that was as discrete as I've ever been, you've got a good eye. Do you like the name—Superman?' she inquired. 'I came up with that one.'

Clark raised his shoulders. 'I never really worried much on a name for myself,' he added modestly. 'I mean…the Crime Syndicate knew me by Nightwing for years.'

'Well, the S was a huge help in that department and it certainly didn't stand for _sincere_.'

Clark didn't know if that was a direct attack on him or not, but he thought perhaps he better tread a little lighter when it came to his wording. Lois Lane was a fierce woman, powerful in her own right and proven time and time again. 'Well that's why I want to change that. But it has to be on my own terms.'

'You do know you're asking me to keep _your_ own secrets?'

'No,' he corrected. 'No I want you to hold it until the time is right, I can't help people otherwise, trust me,' he added quickly. 'Besides it won't be long now.'

They talked for a long time. Clark recounted his childhood, omitting any names of places or people. He told of what his parents had taught him about values and morals. That he worked to make the world a better place as best he could. Yet Lois could definitely see naivety in his speech, there were some things he said that held hope. Soon they even went into some of his powers and he tried his best to explain them.

Soon it was about time Clark got back but just before jumping off the ledge, Lois stopped him. 'Don't worry,' she whispered. 'I promise you I won't tell anyone until you want me to.'

He nodded. 'I have faith in you, Lois.'

Her smile radiated like light from her face. 'I hope that faith might extend to the rest of us, Superman.' Then she watched him leap onto another building, then another, until he had gone from sight. She felt her lungs concave with the weight of what had just happened. She looked at her watch. It was past midnight. Her cheeks filled with colour. She had just spent the night with Superman.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**METROPOLIS, A day later…**_

Clark sat in his apartment, huddled on his couch, a hot blonde in his arms. 'Something's wrong, are you alright?' It was funny…Clark could hear her heart beating in her chest. Concerned, somehow he could feel it in her. Yet…he could not feel her warmth.

It was a depressing thought. But when it came to human interactions, after the eighth grade, Clark began to feel nothing. Not just physical pain, but comfort as well. The warmth of his mother's hugs or his father's hand on his shoulder or even Lana's loving embraces. At times he felt dead and it made him feel like crap. 'Nah…it's nothing. Just feel a little tired.'

The apartment door opened to let in a scrawny young man with ginger hair and a brand new Canon camera. 'Sup guys,' Jimmy greeted vaguely as he passed by.

'Hi Jimmy.' They both answered in perfect sync, eyes not leaving the television program. The photographer plopped up to the kitchen counter and placed his device on the clean surface.

Heather suddenly jumped in her spot and turned to the teenager. 'Oh and don't forget, your Editor-In-Chief wants that picture of that Belle Reve Warden for reference.'

Jimmy raised a glass of soda to her and began searching the cupboards for food. Their mutual friend Jimmy Olsen was a young man, fresh from high school yet it appeared that he'd worked for the Daily Planet far longer than Clark so knew a lot of the shortcuts and going when it came to how things were running. Fact was, Lois had been willing to count looking after the young man i.e. giving him a room and basically being a mother to him, as credit for getting a placement in the Planet. They'd become good friends after that, slightly begrudgingly.

He was a bright young man with potential and an eye for photography that Clark hadn't seen before…then again, photography really wasn't his area of expertise. He had started off as a freelance photographer for a lot of publishing firms even taking part-time work for TIMES magazine.

Beep, beep…beep, beep… Jimmy nearly dropped his cup but managed to catch it and his phone before any one of them shattered. 'Hey guys, it's Perry.' The couple's attentions had immediately drew to the phone. 'He wants us to watch Channel 14.'

The _Inquisitorial News_ on Channel 14 was a number one contender in news, there was a huge rivalry there between The Inquisitorial and The Daily Planet, has been for more than fifty years now. They actually had someone monitoring The Inquisitorial's movements carefully and both competed for great scoops. Channel 14's disadvantage…was that they had Lois Lane and Perry White.

Thus they were compelled to do what their Editor-In-Chief commanded and turned the channel onto their sworn enemy. Clark laughed inwardly, he was learning a hell of a lot about journalism from Jimmy.

The room gasped in shock as the headline read 'SUPERMAN—FIRST WAVE INVASION?'

At that moment, Clark felt his entire world crashing around him. It had only been a day since he'd told her—told Lois about what he was.

'…_protector, but who is Superman?_' Cat Grant asked the viewers. _'There is now however, compelling evidence that who or what he really is, may actually be more grievous than you'd expect.'_

Then the male host continued where she left off. 'That's right, folks—Metropolis' guardian angel actually is from the skies or more rather, the stars. Superman is an alien.'

Heather looked at her boyfriend, brows raised. Clark didn't seem to notice as his full thoughts were on the news.

All the while, Cat Grant with her award winning smile and peach blonde hair continued to report in. '_There was DNA testing and official recordings have confirmed this theory as well as correspondence from Billionaire-Genius Lex Luthor._'

All of a sudden it cut to a press conference with Luthor himself. _'We have now just captured footage of what appears to be a space-craft hovering past our moon in full HD…_' then the screen turned again to a photo of some sort of silver spaceship, what resinated with him however was the close-up shot of the hull. It had the symbol—his symbol. The diamond shield around a large 'S' he had embroidered on his chest. Now it was on the hull of some alien armada. Clark shook his head furiously.

'_The question is whether this so-called Superman will answer for this or whether this truly is a threat to national security,'_ Lex explained. _'So far the ship has not made any demands except this message which was sent down to the Pentagon and other government facilities across the globe in their own respectable languages.'_

"_People of Earth…you are not alone. For years you have sheltered one of our own. The one you mistakenly call Superman._" Clark moved closer to the TV, the ominous and powerfully mechanic voice booming. Was this his people? _"Surrender him to us or you will all suffer the consequences."_

Then Cat returned on camera. _'The verdict is still in question on whether this is a hoax or if Superman does in fact pose a threat to Earth's security or whether we can even consider him a protector of Earth. So what do the people of Earth say to this? To him?'_ She was about to wrap it up and seemed to be asking the viewers directly. '_Is our planet in any danger? Stay tuned for further details.'_

Jimmy was left shaking his head. 'Wow…she certainly used the word Earth a lot. Like she needed to remind everyone that that's where we actually live.'

'She's trying to establish an emotional opinion in the masses,' Heather tried changing the channel but this story was everywhere. Even cut to several angry protestors at Town Square holding up _Anti-alien_ signs. 'Looks like it's working.'

He could hear them even from home, miles and miles away. They were shouting, 'Go home! Go home! Go home!' Their outcries sent shivers down his spine and broke his heart at the passing, stabbing it continuously. He saw the TV screen, the people with their signs. His symbol on their boards, crossed out in red. He looked to his shelf where he kept his crystal, also baring the emblem. Clark was so confused now. What was he to do?

**-=O=-**

**-=S=-**

**Author's Note:**

**I am terribly sorry for how late it is since I last updated. I've been extremely busy fighting slight depression and all that. Anyhow, I do hope you enjoy my run on Superman. I don't believe there's long to go. I do have other projects in the works, other DC superheroes I'm thinking about writing. Maybe Wonder Woman and Green Lantern but we'll see. **

**I hope this chapter is adequate enough. It was definitely quite challenging to write, not sure why that was. Maybe it's the fact that since the Truth story arc started I've had a hard time even liking Lois Lane. But for this I really want mine to be a little more likable. **


	17. To Rise and Fall

**Chapter Sixteen**

**TO RISE AND FALL**

Outside the house just before the great fields of corn that surrounded them, little Clark Kent roared with laughter. Though he seemed to have a bit of trouble steering the bicycle and it took a few adjustments before he was finally able to straighten up.

Jonathan watched his son with such a prideful grin plastered on his face. It was little Clark's first time riding a two-wheeled bike. Not even turned six yet. He was watching him like a hawk, making sure he saw every move, every time the bike wiggled or if he loses his balance, Jonathan was ready to catch him or make sure he wasn't going to hurt himself. It did however seem like a rather foolish thought.

He was special, Jonathan knew this. Ever since they'd found him in the cornfields at North roads, both Martha and he knew that he was extraordinary. The moment he lifted up the truck when it almost crushed Jonathan as he worked on the tire. This was when they'd just found him. Hamilton told him the child was likely only one year-old. He could not deny he felt a little startled that a one year-old boy was able to lift a two hundred kilogram truck by himself. Martha however, fell in love with the boy almost immediately.

'Careful, son,' he cautioned. Clark didn't seem to notice and kept on riding. The grin on his face, the fun he looked like he was having…it warmed the man's heart. This was what being a dad felt like to him.

Clark must have been having the time of his life and did not notice his eyes turning red and then…BOOM! Lasers shot out of his eyes like battery torches and launched him off the bike. All too quickly his laughs became cries of pain and terror and fear.

'Dad!' he called out, on his knees, sobbing while the beams continued vomiting from his orbs. He was terrified, confused and the five year-old boy could do nothing but cry out and look for his father. He could see, but his vision had everything else turn red. 'DAD!'

Next thing he knew, a pair of strong yet subtly comforting arms enveloped him in a furious embrace. 'I've got you son!'

Little Clark shook his head and tried to get free of his father's hug. 'No dad, get away from me!' he exclaimed. 'Please, Pa, I don't want to hurt you!'

'Clark…' Jonathan tried, 'just calm down, Clark.'

'Dad, please!' Clark was crying now, sobbing, and struggling with his father, whom had surprisingly gotten a lot stronger, able to hold him in place. 'Dad, get away from me!' he cried.

'I'm not gonna leave you, son. Now…I want you to calm down…can you hear me, Clark?' the frightened little boy nodded. 'I need you to close your eyes for me and count the beating in your heart. Can you do that?'

Again, Clark nodded and did what his father had instructed. He closed his eyes, the flow of fire stopped but Clark knew that behind his closed eyelids, they were going off. Now he was afraid to open them.

'Clark, now I need you to see your heart and count the beats.'

A little uncertain, Clark began to concentrate. He looked inward and visualised his own heart…its rhythmic beating.

'Do you see it, son?'

Clark nodded. 'I see it…' he then began to count in mutters the rhythm. Thump, thump, thump, it went at first in rapid thumping but after a while, it began to slow down into a walk.

Slowly, very slowly, and a little bit timidly, Clark opened his eyes relief washed over him to find they no longer spewed flames. But when he was conscious of where he was, when he saw the fields of corn still on fire, all of his father and mother's hard work set ablaze, guilt crashed into him like a bus.

He closed his eyes once again. 'I'm sorry, Pa. I'm a monster.' Tears began well up again and Clark was grateful that he could not see his father's face at that moment, content with just guessing neutrality.

'You're not a monster, Clark,' said Jonathan, a little quivery. 'You're special…you're my son.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

'Pepper, come down from there,' a little girl shouted on the streets, looking up where her pet cat had gotten stuck in a tree, unable or unwilling to budge. The cat hissed at her angrily. 'Please, Pepper, get down from there.'

A truck carrying cargo crates from the docks was speeding a few kilometres away. The driver, a lazy drunk was to drive up a hill and probably not even see her in front of him. He did however and pushed the brakes…but it was too late. At his speed he would have smashed into her, ripped her and splattered her remains on his windshield. Just as little Pepper jumped down into her arms the truck came up to her, a metre away, the truck maintained its top speed, when out of the blue, Superman appeared in front of the girl who gasped in shock. He acted as a wall against the speeding vehicle that crumbled like tin foil against his back.

Clark gave the girl a pained smile owing to the heavy truck that just smashed into him. 'Are you okay, little lady?'

Him saving her life didn't seem to register to her as her face paled and with her cat back in her hands, she screamed out, 'Ahhh, the alien's after me!' and ran off to the sidewalk. 'It's behind me!'

Clark was left frozen on the spot, looking the fool as everyone present there were witnesses to it. Some stayed silent, some ran the other way while the rest looked on and gasped. It was the most awkward moment in his life, topping his first day at middle school.

He was about to leap on out when a man chucked a huge brick at him. Naturally, the brick shattered and Clark didn't feel a thing…but it was what the guy said after that got to him. 'Get off our planet!' he shouted and Clark felt the words rip through him like a knife. 'You don't belong here!'

'Go home, you freak!'

Clark started walking to bet into a clearing but they began to round on him. He couldn't take off with so many people so close to him.

'Hey, where's your invasion army?!'

Another man came in front of him, half mad. He splashed some water on his face shouting, 'Hey, alien, you dying yet?' The man laughed.

But that was a recounting of only one of the instances. The day after that, there was a robbery taking place at Metro Bank in the suburbs. It was five men of indiscriminative race with machine guns and hockey masks to cover their faces.

In not time, a lengthy gun fight took place between them and the authorities on the scene. It was not going the police's way that day. The robbers had the upper hand, remnants of LexCorp prototypes, modified and perfected, had caused the death of at least two officers.

Jones had called for back-up but got no response. That was until Superman showed up just in time to take a bullet from its path to Detective Jones' skull. Then, as swiftly as he could, he smashed every weapon in the thieves' possession. Disappearing then reappearing before them.

Straight away they stopped, shared a look, then they raised their arms in surrender. Jones just stared at the curious man. Said man turned to him and by that point Jones saw partially his face, though hidden behind shades and a cap, he could tell the man was young…he was but a boy.

'Detective Jones, I need someone to detain these men.'

The bewildered detective complied with his request and bound the robbers to each other with cable-ties binding their wrists and ankles and knees.

'Hey!' came a shout from the streets. Clark looked to a growing crowd of people forming. A woman stood at the front. Her face emitted recognition as Clark recalled a few nights ago when he stopped both a gang war and an attempted murder of a child. This woman was the one that held the trigger. 'Remember me? You almost got me killed at Suicide Slums, freak!' she then pelted an egg at him which splattered all over his face. Blinded for a mere second by the yolk, Clark was still able to block another wave with his arms.

It wasn't a physical pain that he felt, but his heart was breaking even more. He would have spoken to counter the woman and try to tell the masses the truth but was met by shouting and yelling and a hailing of even more eggs.

Jones tried to calm the mob but found himself victim of the same treatment, though by miracle or magic had evaded getting hit by their wasted ammo.

Again, Clark found himself cornered by them, growling at him, furiously shouting in his ears their hate. He'd long abandoned his shades and they saw his eyes though now shielded by tears.

**-O-**

**THE METROPOLIS / EAGLE**

**"****SUPERMAN" INVESTIGATION BUILDS STEAM**

**By Bruce Timmons**

**During the early morning, LexCorp Observatory have located the whereabouts of the Superman's spacecraft orbiting the moon in relative silence. Regardless, the United States Government considers its defence options or whether to even treat this as a credible threat. **

**"****_We will treat this as we've always treated threats to our security_****," commented US President Barack Obama at a Press conference a day after the initial threat was received, stating "****_We will not negotiate with Terrorists._****"**

**Head of LexCorp has stated that it will be working almost exclusively in the defence of the nation if not the world against the threat of an alien invasion…**

**-O-**

In his apartment, Clark stands facing the television, clutching the black remote that controlled the channel. Heather sat at the coach looking anxiously at her boyfriend and his stony glare.

_'__Survivors of the monorail incident where the Central bound train crashed into the lobby of the LexCorp building—have come out with less than favourable statements for the Superman. He may have stopped the bad guy but did he stop to consider how his actions would affect us regular people?'_ The news reporter for the Inquisitorial passed her mic to a middle-aged woman. She was distraught a little bit. '_What are your thoughts on Metropolis' Man of Steel?'_

She shook her head. '_Look, I just want him to take responsibility for his actions. His actions have led to major injuries and deaths.'_

It then cut to another clip of his fight with Atomic Skull. Then to a woman whom he could only guess was present. She looked like she was about to cry. '_Yeah, I mean, it's sort of unnerving…I mean…that day that Atomic Skull attacked, he kept the fighting there. Maybe if he'd taken the fight somewhere where there could not be any possible collateral damage…my son might still be alive…'_ she broke down into tears while the reporter tried to comfort her.

'_Is this really what the people of Earth truly needs?' _She asked the viewers. '_Do we need a super alien to save us…or can this finally unite our fractured natures into one common cause…one common enemy? Billionaire Lex Luthor seems to think so and has arranged a big reveal on Friday, launching LexCorp's phase two of its Secure Infinity Project. The crowd seems to be cheering for their own hero now.'_

That was it. Clark's grasp tightened around the remote and it burst in his pressure. But he remained silent.

'Clark?' Heather whispered, knowing he'd still be able to hear it, but he remained silent.

He saw his Superman leather jacket on the kitchen counter. He marched towards it, grabbed it and threw it in the bin before vanishing into his room.

That night they both slept soundly. The events outside their bedroom nearly forgotten, drowned in the blissful slumber. It took him most of the night to fall asleep, plagued by the events previous weighing on him like tons and tons of trucks on his back.

When Heather came in he was already in bed, feigning sleep so as to avoid confrontation.

It was silent. That part of town normally was at three am. So it came as a shock for even Clark Kent to hear a faint yet growing noise in his ears. It was a mild humming sound, earie, like it came from light echoes in empty caves. Out of instinct, Clark opened his eyes but did nothing else. He just lay there on his bed, blue orbs staring at the canopy above while his hearing focussed on the sound, trying to deduce the source.

He got up, as carefully as possible and followed a strange pull. His box, nesting on his bookshelf and when he opened it, he saw the crystal. But it was doing something he hadn't seen it do since before he left Smallville. It was glowing green...and it began to whisper. A soothing melody but he could not make out any words…just sounds. Nonetheless, it gave him comfort; like it knew the turmoil he was facing and had come to balm his pain.

It was…giving him instructions…

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

**_LOCATION:_**

**_DOWNTOWN AREA, METROPOLIS_**

In an empty alley, a young man just making his way home from college was cornered by a group of men. They bashed him up, kicked him and smashed his head against the wall. The thing was, he knew those men. They were people in his class.

To recap, his professor had decided to start the lecture with a verse from the bible about Lucifer's fall from grace. It was cleverly hiding an agenda against Superman. He was not doing a good enough job at hiding his dislike of the alien.

He said that Superman had no right to be on the planet, had no right to live among them. He accused him of being a fascist, or of mocking humanity by hiding in plain sight like he saw them as stupid and blind.

The professor also went to Superman's actions and how they were fuelled by his need to dominate them all by being a god to them.

Cole refuted this and argued that the Superman was just trying to do the right thing, that the professor was wrong and argued that everyone, everything deserved their right. If even animals could gain equal to more rights to human beings, then why can't Superman?

'Because he doesn't belong here!' the professor had snapped, and he was excused from the lecture hall. 'Humanity's innate purpose has been to survive. The alien here bodes a threat to that purpose.'

That had been going on for some time and now, they decided to punch the life out of him in a dark alley. They were tearing at his shirt, at the Superman S shield on it.

Now…Cole was a traitor to his own species.

They then stopped their assault as a known silhouette descended. Superman had come rushing in and they all bolted.

Clark helped the boy up and the look of relief on his bruised and battered face, bloodied and soiled, broke his heart. Was this his legacy? He looked the boy over—broken ribs, a few fractures just atop the tibia, ulna and collarbone. 'You…you came…'

All Clark could do was nod as he sobbed. He did not know the boy but it seemed like his trust was more than genuine. It was as if he'd known him for years. Clark then moved as fast as he could to get him to the nearby hospital.

If this was what he inspired…violence and conflict…then maybe they were right? At home, he took out the crystal and waited to hear it. It was like a rosary and he knelt down in prayer by his bedside, but no voice appeared, nothing but silence in the night, dead and chilling.

At High town's Metropolis Point High School, Michael Vetra was walking out of the school library with his friend Sarah, both carrying stacks of books. He wore a grey jacket over a black T-shirt with the red Superman shield on his chest. It was a trend that started a while ago. It showed support for the alien, for his hero.

While they were walking, they saw another guy, smaller, probably a nerd with a weird hairdo, wearing a blue Superman shirt as well. He was being aggressively bullied by a bunch of jocks from the school's football team. Sarah pointed this out and suggested he close up his jacket.

This had suddenly become a thing now. That symbol became a huge target now. Where once it was a symbol of hope and acceptance, where anyone who wore one meant that they all loved Superman, for helping them, now it was a cause for fights and victim to bullying.

Michael made an attempt to cover his symbol up.

'Please…please…uff!' the sound of fists upon flesh.

Michael stopped suddenly. Sarah gave him a warning look, trying to get him to come with her. 'Michael, come on, there's nothing you can do.'

He looked around, the teachers were doing nothing, just talking to each other or busy with their own works to notice over the loudness of High School life. He turned around and was about to walk up to the massive bullies when he bumped into a torso. It was Morgan Edge, standing over him with a deadly stare.

'You better watch where you're going, godfather wannabe.'

Michael ignored him and tried to walk past to help out the other kid but was again met with more walls.

'Trust me…you maybe a mafia boss protégé, but you won't want to go there.'

'And what, do nothing?!'

Morgan chuckled and was then joined by a couple of other towering guys. 'Oh no, you'll be plenty busy.' They all began to surround him and he lost sight of Sarah over the wall. 'You evaded the Hood once…but that doesn't mean we won't be making your life here a living hell.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

The Watchtower was silent but for the thumping of his heart, so loud that they muted everything else. Clark honestly could not predict how this was all going to go. But he needed to tell them before he left. But as he looked at Leanna's waiting face, he got more the sense that he was asking for permission.

'…it called to me at night…I don't know how to explain it.'

'Try me.'

Clark nodded and attempted again to prepare himself. He began to stutter slightly, if talking to Lea was this difficult…how would he approach Heather? Should he even? 'Lea…I'm not ready yet.'

The young Luthor did not wait for him to answer, 'Ready for what?' she said, crossing her arms expectantly.

He sighed. Clearly it was rather hard for him to piece together a more comprehensive explanation, bu6t it was sad to say he was less than sure himself. It was more a feeling and somehow he did not think that aspect was credible to someone like Lea.

He was probably right because when he told her, she was left gobsmacked. 'Are you fucking kidding me?!'

'Look, I don't seem to be doing much of a good job at this protecting thing—'

'But you'll learn in time, Clark. That's the whole point. You'll need to learn how to be a hero, Clark.' She shrugged, looking around at their command centre. 'Isn't that what we're doing…isn't that the whole purpose of the Superman?'

Clark shook his head. 'There is no Superman!'

That should have rubbed Lea on the negative side, after all, it was a hard road to get them there and she'd made many sacrifices. To her, The Superman was the evolution in her plans. 'So…all of this,' she gestured to the command centre, 'has been for nothing? I laboured and lost…for nothing? Yeah, what a way to sweet talk a girl, dude.'

'Look, I didn't mean it like that…' Clark slammed his head on the palm of his hand. 'I just…I can't explain it. It's like…all of this, Watchtower, _Nightwing_, that was all stage one.' He then pulled out the crystal. 'This is pointing me to the next step.'

'So you're going to up and leave us to fend for ourselves?'

At this Clark snapped. 'Look, the world got along just fine without me…it'll spin just fine without me.' He then moved closer to Lea but she refused to meet his gaze. 'Plus, we have Guardian to watch over as she always does.'

Lea pulled him into a hug which he more than allowed. 'Okay, Kent,' she started, her voice slightly masked by his embrace, 'I'm giving you a year and you better be back by then.'

Clark chuckled lightly, 'Yes, ma'am.'

For a time, they just revelled in each other's company. They knew things were about to change. Lea knew this when she first discovered him. They'd been close for years now. It was definitely going to be a challenge for them both. But then another thought creeped into the young Luthor's mind. 'So…how are you going to tell Heather?'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

So, Clark called his girlfriend over to the Watchtower one evening. Clark got all sorts of jitters alright. Whether they were the good kind was still out. But when he saw her enter from the elevator, tight jeans, red shirt and a brown leather jacket with her blond hair tied back, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

They went out onto the balcony overlooking the sun's light reflected in the ocean.

Oh it hurt…how beautiful she was. It hurt—the memory of it all. 'So what did you want to tell me?' she quizzed.

Clark looked at their joined hands. 'You know I love you…'

Heather looked simply horrified. 'You're not breaking up with me, right?'

Clark seemed to share in that shock and hastily if not without being clumsy. Soon the tension was heaved away…but Clark could still feel its presence, hanging around like a bad smell. 'No…I…' she looked down past his hands, to his feet, basically anywhere where his eyes won't accidentally catch hers. 'I'm going away for a while.'

Heather nodded half understandingly. 'Okay, where?'

'I…I don't know.' He then took out his crystal, the "_S_" glowing green. 'This thing…it talked to me, it spoke in a voice I could not recognise, but seemed very familiar to me.' He saw Heather's face fall and she asked why. Clark had to think for a while and let the question simmer.

'Clark, I said, why do you have to leave? Explain it to me…please. Is it because of what they're saying about you?' Clark perked his head up. 'Are you just going to abandon us because of what a few—?'

'I'm not ready for this, Heather!' he tried to compose himself a little before continuing. 'What's been happening to me lately is nothing compared to the night I saw a bunch of kids being picked on and beaten up for sticking up for me.' Clark let go of her hand and turned his back. 'The thing is…I didn't see why they would, you know, stand up for me. Why they would risk their lives to make people see me differently. Positively.' He flexed his shoulders in an inquisitorial manner. 'No one should ever have to do that for me…changing how they see me…that's my job and I've fucked that up already.'

He turned around to look back to her.

'I'm not ready to be their saviour.' He held the crystal out to the sun. Its glow was so transfixing, flashing like a song of light. 'I have to go.'

Heather was left speechless, usually found to be rare in her kind, the news group were usually talkative, the silence from her…she was not used to that. But every word, every sentence she thought up failed to make it out of her mouth and she choked them down again. The look on Clark's face—she knew what he was going to ask her—ask of her. 'Clark, what…'

'I love you Heather,' he proclaimed. 'I do. You are the greatest girl I've ever met and I don't want to lose you. But I have to go. It maybe a year—two at the most…but I have to ask you…please, will you wait for me.'

The silence that followed encompassed all of Metropolis as Clark waited. He waited for her answer until it got to a point where his patience slowly waned. She wouldn't answer but stared down at his feet.

'Please…Heather…'

Only later did he see the tears running down her cheeks with silent sobs she tried to stifle. Then finally, 'I can't.' She looked up at him, uncertainly.

Clark felt an ache in his heart rising, threatening to spill out. 'Heather, please…don't—'

'I'm sorry, Clark,' she quivered. 'I…I love you, Clark, you know that but I…' Clark backed away, eyes wide open, shaking his head in denial. 'Clark, please…this whole thing…superheroing, that's your world. You should go. Follow whatever that thing says. You will always have my love, Clark—but I can't wait for you.'

She moved closer to him and on tip-toes, captured his lips in a last kiss before leaving. As she passed by Lea, she told her that she was unlikely to return but promised not to tell anyone about them. She was taking a risk but Lea let her pass.

No, Lea's concerns were more on her best friend, still standing there like an idiot, slouched and teary eyed as he followed Heather's form even past the metal elevator he followed her down with his eyes.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

**_LOCATION:_**

**_LEXCORP BUILDING_**

Leanna thought it was strange for her father to summon her up to a board meeting like that. Usually he'd do it well before so he could instruct her to listen and learn from the proceedings, if he could not, then he wouldn't even bother. What made that day so different?

She had a very bad feeling about all of this. But the fact that it had come from a text message from him…he even used emogis. _Wow, he must really be trying_.

There was a board meeting that day, started at twelve o'clock noon. Apparently LexCorp was introducing a new line of technology but her father wouldn't tell her anything about it. 'It could revolutionise everything. Give us a brighter and more secure future,' he told her.

'Wow, dad, that's very inspirational,' she responded in her usual sarcastic tone.

Leanna checked the time. One forty-five—the meeting was almost finished. _Why'd e send me up so late?'_

When she entered the room, she was a little caught off guard to see other than the board members, seated in their usual spots, were a brigade of reporters and cameras from almost every news station in the United States. She recognised Lois Lane in the crowd standing.

Her father stood before them in front of a holographic screen had been in the middle of a sentence when he saw her, paused for a moment and offered her a smile. Lea offered one in return and moved to take a seat at the end.

'As I was saying,' Lex continued. 'We live in a world of ones and zeros, where these ones and zeros have shaped our future…given us security…and have taken it away.' Then the projections took shape…but to what form that was had opened Lea's eyes and mouth. The design…it was her armour, the one she was working on at the Watchtower.

There was a sudden boom from the window. It sounded to her like something broke the speed barrier. The company diverted their eyes towards the sounds and there appeared a metal man, gliding—no hovering…it confirmed her fears. 'I present to you LexCorp's own Guardians.'

No, no, no! She could see that smug look flash for brief second on her father's face. This could not be happening…it was impossible.

'AI cognitive robots standing roughly seven feet nine inches tall,' Lex began to present the features of the new tech. 'Shielding strength stands at more than thirty thousand Tonne Pressure rating, full digital surveillance interceptors capable of intercepting any form of communication, quantum memory processing, five mile targeting radius.' Then the diagram enhanced onto the feet. 'G302-TI-99 enhanced performance ion thrusters for stabilised flight.'

'So it flies?' asked one of the board members.

Lex nodded, giving him a patronising but brief stare. 'Its maximum velocity reaches just over Mach point nine.'

'What is the ceiling?' another inquired. Most would have assumed plus forty-five thousand feet—an aerodynamic feat in and of itself.

But Lex merely smirked. 'It actually doesn't have any. My Guardians have been designed for interstellar travel. An arrangement I had with NASA not too long ago.'

'So…does this mean we still have our government contract?' asked a young board member maybe younger than Lea. She found everything else they were saying quite uninteresting because she just could not get past the actual situation itself.

Lois tilted her head at the robots. 'Why do they look sort of like a Marvel comic book character?'

Mr Luthor smiled at her then gestured to his gobsmacked daughter. 'I give full credit for the design and the entire concept as well as the technology to my genius daughter, Leanna Octavius Luthor.' All attention now focused on her and they began to clap. She was even more at a loss for words. Left in complete stagnated embarrassment she offered up her hand in an awkward wave to the audience, completely aware of her rosy cheeks. But they were filled with a mixture of aggressive emotions. Embarrassment was there but over powered by the anger in her heart.

_They took my armour_…Leanna felt like she was pushed off a cliff and falling to her death. How did her father get hold of her tech? 'So you can all see how personal I hold this project,' Lex continued. There appeared to be tears in his eyes. He looked to the Guardian. Like a man of red steel and platinum, purple eyes that matched the glowing orbs along his temple like a crown. On its chest bore his symbol…the Luthor Legacy. 'No more will we see our futures in the hand of aliens. Now I'm not saying that the Superman is a bad person. That still remains to be seen…but now…we have our own Supermen.'

To this the entire room erupted into cheers and applause. Lois and some other reporters seemed speechless themselves—some in better ways than others.

While the talks continued, Lea snuck out and in the hallway took out her personalised phone that was cleverly wired to Watchtower.

There was nothing, no response. 'Watchtower: activate,' but there was still no response. 'Watchtower: protocol sentry,' the other end was quiet. Her eyes became wide and immediately, she bolted out. She spoke to no one and rushed out of the building, pushing and shoving people in her way aside. She didn't even wait to catch a bus or taxi but opted by impulse to run as fast as she could to the docks…to her watchtower.

Her heart was running with dread. The Watchtower was protected by so many misdirecting trails that it would have taken ages to find it. But did her dad find it?

Lea tried to call Clark on her phone as she ran but there was no one picking up. She only hoped Clark hadn't already left.

No he couldn't have. It was inconceivable that he would even be looking.

When finally she got to the entrance to the docks, the Watchtower seemed alright, unchanged, but her suspicions had given her a very unlikable feeling. The doors were still closed, but it was too early for sighs of relief as she then tried to open them. Usually they'd open to her touch…But the power was down.

Ultimately she chose to smash the lowest windows with a brick. She climbed inside and found herself in utter darkness, nothing to the ears as well except for the bustling traffic outside. She took out her phone and utilised the flashlight.

Everything on ground level seemed fine.

She checked the elevators but saw they were obviously not functional. There were no running circuit breakers to pump electricity considering Watchtower was off the grid. So the only way to bring back power was the personal generator at the operations room.

More than a hundred flights of stairs had passed before she finally reached the operations room at the very top.

Leanna was so used to the tower welcoming her back to work and it felt eerily out of place to hear only silence as she walked through the doors. When she entered the first instincts were to study her surroundings. It was only two days or so since she was there last. She was relieved that everything seemed in their places on her desk but there was no light, no power. The tower was dead.

She checked a small metal box attached to the wall at the farthest side. Tried several times to push the button and therefore turn on all the systems but it was useless. She cursed, swore in almost every language in her dictionary and banged the generator with balled fists. Why was this happening?

Then it came to her. Her father…Lex Luthor…it was the obvious answer and sometimes the obvious answers are the right ones for once.

'You didn't think that I wouldn't find your little secret, Leanna.' The young Luthor let loose a held in breath. She turned around to see her father standing there. Even in the darkness she could tell it was him. 'When you started this little campaign against me you should have known as well as anybody, that nothing gets past me. With you being my daughter it should have been obvious.'

'What did you do?'

The older Luthor grinned and approached his daughter, confident in his victory. 'I'm actually rather impressed, little one, that you were able to hide this from me for so long. Working with that Superman freak to bring my empire down and slow the path of progress I'd started, would not have been an easy feat not to mention the fact you did all this without me even noticing…bravo.'

At this Leanna shook his head. 'We worked to help those that your progression had trampled upon on its path,' she spat at him. 'All those conferences about a better tomorrow…those are all futures reserved for those with money…a lot of money.'

'What good is knowledge and wisdom when it brings no profit to the knowledgeable and the wise? I only want what's naturally owed to me for my services, thus I may be able to continue providing.' Her father had always been intimidating to her. For most of her childhood he'd only ever seen him scowl, frown or shout. Sometimes he'd smirk or grin but those normally meant something bad.

Lex's grin was past creepy but Leanna was determined to keep up her own bravado against him. 'Dad, this is not how we serve—tricking people out of their homes, their mortgages, or sending them to hospitals…to the cemetery, while those with enough money and sway to actually give you cash, lavish in luxury.'

Lex shook his head at his very young daughter, frowning at her with disappointment. 'So naïve,' he remarked. 'Have you not learned by now how the world works, Leanna. Survival is the key here and right now money is what makes a survivor. That is the evolutionary advantage for our species. Those people out there…I do not deny them the advancements I offer. It is there's to take…if they can.'

'You're a sick man, dad,' she shot at him and it appeared to Lex for a brief moment that she looked just like her mother. That hatred emanating from her green eyes was so encapsulating. 'And what about my things? You took my schematics and combined them with that robot that attacked Atomic Skull.' Lex cringed and that was when she figured it out and gave beamed at him. 'That's right, I know, Atomic Skull has the metagene which was why he survived the accident.'

'Mr Michaels has suffered a mutation born out of his own stupidity,' he defended aggressively. 'He was given a deadline and failed to meet it before the automatic doors closed.'

Lea shook her head. He could not believe her father, though she had to admit she should not have expected any less. 'And what good would my armour do for the world?'

'I'm glad you asked.' He then moved to the windows above, walking up the metal stairs onto the ramp while Leanna followed only with her eyes. Lex examined the window, their stories detailed on the glass. 'Since the beginning of time people have always searched the heavens for something…someone to protect them, to save them; Prophets…gods…Superman.' He then turned around again, addressing his daughter. 'No man should ever have that power in his genes. He's not human and if he's not one of us then he's an enemy.' Again he looked to the glass. 'Finally…something to unite us all as a species,' he said. 'A common threat…finally we have a common enemy.'

'He's only trying to help, dad. You can keep doing what you do, stomp on the poor, the weak and powerless, but that's where we come in…that's where Superman comes in—to return the balance of the scales that you've horded.' What really struck her however was what her father meant by his little speech. Now she knew what he wanted with her suit…an army of his own, his own supermen.

She turned around only to find he was nowhere to be seen. She was once again, alone in the dark. She looked at the mosaic and immediately her thoughts went to Clark Kent. _Please, Clark, come back soon_.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

He watched and re-watched the tape again and again. His battle with that robot at LexCorp had opened his eyes to a few things about himself. Watching the security tapes again gave him more insight and confirmed his suspicions.

The humanoid robot seemed to mimic his abilities based on species. That was where he first heard the word _Kryptonian_. It said that it accessed Kryptonian Genes…and it flew!

Now, he isn't sure how but he figured that it wouldn't be too difficult. The robot did it in seconds.

Clark thought about it for ages. Flying would dispel quite a lot of problems he had when it came to travel. For one, he would no longer leave a trail of cracks in his wake. Thus now he finds himself in a vast and open field, completely empty with the sun up high. He needed to learn how and it most definitely would make travelling north all the more easier.

He readied himself, looked to the sky and with both feet kicked off like normally did, only this time instead of looking for the spot to land, Clark stretched his fists to the skies and pushed himself higher.

Unfortunately, gravity pulled him back to the ground, but he more skipped, launching himself up again. He jumped up at least five times before finally, he felt himself ascend higher. Oh the grin that painted his face, wide and telling of the joy he felt, and he laughed so loudly. He'd forgotten how that felt…smiling. He was flying!

High and higher and…and then he was falling?

SHIIIIIIIIIIIIT!

Clark smashed into a small hill of rocks and in that crash the hill exploded everywhere. This was why he chose such a remote location, miles away from Metropolis or any other populated area. He got himself up, climbed from the rubble then began again. More, and more, but every attempt had him fail time and time again.

In the end he had made many craters in the dirt. Climbing atop that final ditch, Clark became somewhat annoyed. It reached a point where tears began to appear on his face. Frustrated, tired, Clark did not know what to make of it. He knew it, deep down, he could fly. It was a feeling, an instinct that he could not shake off. He needed this badly.

That was when he paused himself, and looked behind him where he could still see Metropolis in the distance. A building—the highest point in the city, Central Tower. The hub for the financial stock market, for international trade and all built upon Metropolis' first Court House.

He looked down now upon the great city from atop its highest point. He felt great, the wind blowing in his face. He had no leather jacket, no S on his chest. He was but Clark Kent, standing at the edge of the Earth. He wore a blue T-shirt under a black flannel, blue jeans and brown boots...that was who he was.

He felt gravity, luring him forward. He looks up, the sun beaming at him, feeding his optimism. This was his last chance.

Arms outstretched, head to the skies and then…he dropped. He dropped fast.

Clark's heart struggled to catch up to him as he descended and all he could do was hope and concentrate. Come on, come on…Come on!

He could see the pavement, _dead_ ahead. Come on!

Then, he closed his eyes…and just like that, he was no longer about to hit the road below. But he also could not afford to smile or feel any type of excitement. He needed to concentrate, to focus on one thing alone…his body…its place in the scheme of things around him.

There he was, a man just trying to fit in…flying, flying around the city. He did not pretend he did not notice the stares of awe and fear at the sight of a flying man. Even as he flew a hundred feet in the air he could hear them. A few blocks away he heard another protest against him.

'Go home!' they bellowed. 'Go home!'

_Go home!_

_Go home!_

_Go home!_

Clark smirked, well, more of a sad smile…if only he knew where that was.

For a moment they stopped, looked up as the alien that they so loathed swept by. Guess they expected him to attack, but what they got was a spectacle. He just flew past them, past buildings all over Metropolis.

But his fate was pulling him away from the marvellous city. And thus the Superman left…but by the time the scenery changed around him, cityscape to lush green forests, to mountain ranges, then the white snow, Clark Kent was smiling.

**-=O=-**

**-=S=-**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**That last scene with Clark, originally I had written it while listening to the Flight score for Man of Steel. So, you might want to also visualise it with a musical score too.**

**Apart from this I was also thinking of doing both Wonder Woman and Green Lantern simultaneously but it's clear that that was a poor idea. I saw the new pictures for the Batman v Superman film, so what do you guys think of them. I do hope that it doesn't get to a Bruce/Diana story. I never really put much stock in that pairing, I don't know why. I could see that Bruce Timms was a huge Batman fan and it showed in the animated series he worked on. Obviously Batman deserved the best even in his love life. I saw Superman's stories suffered a lot from this fact.**

**Please review and comment on my work, tell me if I make mistakes and how you think I should fix them. Grazie.**


	18. Seek And You Shall Find

**Chapter Seventeen**

**SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND**

There was a crash on the empty highway. An SUV had been flipped and a family of five inside were trapped by tall tree trunks that had fallen on the road.

Inside, only the baby in her car-seat was conscious, the older brother had instinctively covered her from the crash with his own body. Now, she was crying for help. And help did come. A few more cars stopped and where attempting to either get the family out or lift the giant tree from the car. It seemed impossible. They were at it for hours and some feared that the car engine might ignite.

A man appeared behind the crowd, shrouded in a thick hooded jacket. 'Stand back!' he cried as he lifted the tree trunk, his hands shaking as he moved it out of the way. While he did this, a woman and two others rushed in to help the family out of the wreck. Brother first, he seemed in rather bad shape with glass shards stuck in his back, then the baby and older sister, the mother and father were next and with some attention they all woke.

An ambulance finally showed up to revive the brother and all seemed to be fine again.

But everyone wondered who that man that moved the tree was. Of course they had their speculations and rightly so. It was the Superman.

He walked through the snow covered fields and beside him, an empty road leading nowhere. Clark had been walking that road for hours, but from time to time, Clark wore a simple smile on his face. As he walked, he had a back pack full of dirty clothes still to be washed and a map trailing his journey from Metropolis.

But there was a problem…the crystal…it stopped talking to him.

For the past few weeks he's followed its instructions, going where it wanted him to go even when they led to dead ends. But now…it was silent.

He passed a sign that told of a diner about seven miles away. Clark smiled in relief, looking forward to some nice food, tugged on his bag tighter and trudged on along the lone road. Though he wore quite heavy jackets designed to keep the warmth, he knew he didn't really need them. The cold, it never bothered him much. He wiped his brow though to find bits of frozen water frosting the hairs.

Outside Oscar's Diner—a neat little establishment, modest and quite simply pleasant, he found a row of fifteen motorbikes. He took the time to admire some of them before entering. They brought a strange nostalgic feeling in the pit of his heart. Pete, Lana and he would hang around Sullivan's Garage and watching Chloe Sullivan's dad taking apart old motor-cycles, then making them brand new again.

Back at Oscar's, Clark found the bar was quite packed. There were some bikers here and there, a few local truckies as well as some military looking people, all sharing in jugs of malt beer.

Steady country music played in the background through a band lead by an attractive young woman on vocals.

Clark took a seat at the counter and examined the menu on the overhead board. Scrambled eggs and buttered toast got his attention. The person behind the bar, a dark haired woman greeted him with a friendly smile and took his order.

'Excuse me,' he added when she returned and paced his plate before him. 'I was wondering if you guys offer accommodation. I would like to stay the night, please.'

She looked to be thinking for a while as she dried the beer mug before telling him that they might have some rooms available. 'Assuming those army guys over there don't mind,' she explained. 'They're usually a little unsure of people that we give rooms to seeing as they all follow a narrow strip upstairs.'

He thanked her and paid for the food, the room as well as a sizable mug of beer.

'…and before I forget, I have the reports here from DC.' Clark looked over his shoulder at the uniformed army men at the corner. He saw one of the corporals give his superior a folder.

The colonel inspected the folders briefly and gave a vexed grunt. 'General Lane wants us to spot check the Wall again.'

Clark tried to see through the folder as the aged colonel held it closer to his eyes. Clark could not help but smile. He could make out a small chart of coordinates and some access codes which were specifically encrypted.

After his meal he went up and then, after putting his bag down in his cosy suite, Clark spent the day in the surrounding forest. He liked it there though. The stillness, the silent whispers of the trees, so calm and serene, somewhere a Kryptonian could think.

That was what he needed—a place of silence where he could collect his thoughts without them flooded again by voices.

So surrounded by tall tree trunks and branches full of green that filtered the sun's glorious rays in emerald, Clark continued to walk, evening his pacing away from the crunching of dead leaves or mud. He was doing nothing but enjoying the serene vibe the forest seemed to emit.

There was a small family of dears in the clearing up ahead, grazing there like they were the only creatures on the planet. From afar Clark observed the little family, thinking how it just added to the beauty of the forest.

One of the baby dears had wandered off from the original flock and walked uncertainly to him. Clark knelt down closer to her. The babe looked up at him with such innocent eyes, allowing Clark to pet her gently.

She seemed to like it and moved closer. Clark chuckled. 'You're not afraid of me, are you, girl?' the fawn merely looked up at him with curiosity. 'Yeah, you're a brave little girl.' He began to rub the babe's jaw line. It really reminded him of life back at the farm.

He took out the crystal—maybe it would begin talking again. But as it usual all that he got was more silence.

'You wouldn't by any chance have a clue as to what I can do next?' he asked the tiny creature to which two dark orbs beamed up innocently at him. She shook her head inti his warm and caring hands. 'That's okay, girl. Come on go back to your mother.'

He watched the babe trail on home to her parents.

Majestic creatures were these deer. Gentle, a testament to Earth's many beauties. Watching them go about their natural lives which seemed so simple. Your place is with your family, how could anything be simpler than that?

After some more time with the family of deer, Clark continued to walk through the gorgeous labyrinth of trees and ferns. He saw a stag standing atop a small hill that had a single ray of sunlight shine upon the glazed surface. Clark paused and so did the alpha. But then he saw the ear twitch and in a click, the stag was gone. This compelled Clark to look behind him where he had heard some rustling.

There, before him, a couple of large brown bears walking past him with a handful of cubs racing cheerfully behind them. He saw on one of the bigger bears, around his face, smeared with red blood.

There were some small blackened holes around its body, blood of its own oozing out of them. The bear growled as he led his family through the forest.

Air escaped his lungs as his eyes followed their movements. The bears marched on, proud yet somewhat cautious, probably been in combat recently.

That night Clark got back and the bar was still buzzing with life, it was ridiculous. After he got himself a beer he walked up to his room. While on the road he bumped into one the soldiers in the narrow corridors. 'Oh, my apologies, sir,' he said, courteously.

'Yeah, watch where you're going there, _sport_,' the soldier cautioned drunkenly, stumbling by as though he were blind.

As soon as the doors were locked, Clark was on the bed, his laptop open to a web browser. He suspired, sadly as he read the headline article. '_GUARDIAN PROJECT IS A GO'_ with a picture of one of the robots stopping an armed robbery.

Luthor seemed to have everything under control. Those guardians seemed to be everything the city needed. Every Metropolitan news stations have praised Mr Luthor on his brilliant program and on how it would revolutionise law enforcement. He was even talked in recent interviews about expanding— making sure that a Robotic Guardian Task Force was in every law enforcement agency in America.

They were efficient, they got the job done quite easily, people loved them and for once in the city's history, there was order and security, or at least that was what people at The Inquisitor were saying.

Again, Clark sighed. All that he ever wanted was for the world to accept him, and for a moment they did. For those few months, he felt good about what he was. His gaze turned to the crystal, silent, dead on the bedside table. He found himself wondering why he was even here. He should have just gone back to Smallville. He should have stayed with Lana, been a farmer like his dad wanted him to. Tears, tears had leaked out from the corner of his eyes.

He pictured when he was a teenager the type of life he wanted for himself. He pictured the farm, he pictured Lana and a little child, both his parents smiling at his happiness.

Now that he knew he could have none of that…what was left?

'…Code red!' Clark shot up from his bed, the roars of a dozen soldiers outside, the crackling of radios. 'Code Red!'

'What's going on, corporal?' asked one of the soldiers.

'Sergeant, an oil rig's on fire off coast. State assets are threatened and General Lane wants us to contain and quarantine.'

Clark opened just a slither on his door, looking out at the commotion. The sergeant was walking down the corridors, talking to a younger man to his right, but they were already fully uniformed and equipped. 'Tell the guys at the strip to rev up the C-17 for immediate lift off.'

The young soldier complied with the order and he too began to bark commands of his own into his radio.

Clark listened closer, trying to pick up more of the voices, looking for coordinates or any other info on the situation. That was when he heard the roar of propellers a few hours North-west of there. Enhanced vision revealed the military carrier plane heating up on an airstrip with a handful of soldiers standing in wait for their superiors.

He continued to listen in but as soon as he heard the words "_survivors_" and "_rescue_" Something inside his heart had him run out of the room through his window and leap into the forest, heading for the airstrip.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

Clark felt the winds rushing past him again and the rain showering him. The plane below him moving so fast that the clouds shifted around, forming shapes and blurs. The carrier plane soared across the ocean, heading toward the bright blue moon in the skies, and already Clark could see the smoke in the distance, it probably came from the oil rig…

…yes, he could hear them, their screaming, the fires advancing furiously, deconstructing the metal fortress.

'…the oil rig's about to blow, we're sending a chopper to pick up the survivors,' he heard one of the pilots say.

'We need to work on containment,' said another. 'I've got a tanker off the coast of Star City, it's empty and we'll be able to quarantine the assets.'

A third party entered the discussion. 'Sir, what about the guys inside, there could still be survivors?' Clark listened intently for the answer, trying hard to hear them over the thunder of the storm. He'd hoped that it would be a good answer but he stood ready to leap all the same.

They got to the rig and Clark gasped eyes wide in shock at just how engulfed in flames it was. If not for his enhanced vision Clark could definitely not see the actual facility, hidden within the flames. It was like s small ball of light in the ocean but Clark's senses were spiking.

'Damn,' the one in charge cursed. 'We work on containment,' he decided. 'Everyone inside is dead.'

Clark also heard whispering, at the back of the plane. One of the soldiers was on the phone. '…yes, this is Sergeant Jordan on the USAF C-17 Globemaster III, tail number 00-0172, requesting a Coast Guard chopper at the coordinates. Oil rig on fire survivors are imminent, priority ultra…thirty minutes? Okay, standing by.'

Clark began to smile widely. With a plan in his head, he let his body lighten, the winds almost carrying him off and he falls off the giant carrier. And finally…like on that tower in Metropolis, he feels the winds pick him up. He clenched his fists forward, thrusting him towards the burning metal oil rig.

It was quite difficult to steer himself at the speed he was going. The whole flying thing was quite new which was why he tried not to push his luck and try out air flips or looping around planes, surprisingly, those things didn't matter as he passed along the C-17, swirling it like the red strip of a candy cane. Clark was smiling widely up until he came face to face with the raging inferno.

The rig was supported by four mega pylons that reached the sea floor but Clark could see one had just collapsed with the one opposite it beginning to crumble, the whole thing was about to come down at any moment now.

He had no full control of his flight which left Clark but two options. If he landed on the actual platform, he would risk it sinking a lot sooner, maybe even on contact.

The safest would be to aim for the water. But when he dove in and up again, he saw just how big the pillars were. It would take him some time to get up. There were falling pieces of concrete and burning metal beams, crashing into the ocean, just missing him. They wouldn't hurt him much sure, but it definitely won't speed things up any more than he could go.

Clark began to dig his hands into the pylons and climb up the oil platform, one metre at a time. It was a rather time consuming process, but after some debris, blanketed by red fire that swallowed him, he had finally reached the platform. It was like a castle under siege. Complete chaos and destruction as pipes and metal fell everywhere. He quickly took in the rig and began making his way inside.

Columns of fire blocked every entrance but after a quick scan of the facility, looking for the survivors and any clearings where he could lead them.

But it was quite difficult to pick up their traces. The fires were burning wildly, messing with his vision a little bit. But as luck would have it, he located two on the first floor while several others in a small room where he detected a lot of oxygen filled tanks.

Meanwhile, at the secure bunker where much of the surviving crew had eventually gathered, time was running out as even the doors weren't keeping up the intense heat and soon the carbon dioxide would replace the oxygen in the tanks.

'If we don't get out of here soon, we'll fucking die in here!' yelled one of the engineers.

One of their junior engineers groaned, clearly annoyed at him. 'Get your shit together, Luke, we need to calm down and find a way out of here. And I don't need to tell you guys not to breath in the smoke!'

'There's no way out, Lang!' pointed out another, handing her an oxygen tank to which she used an appropriate amount and offered it to the next man.

_**BANG…CRUSH!**_

They all turned to the door, rooted to their places as the door was crushed and ripped open. Then, there appeared a man, his clothes were burnt, revealing his muscular torso and despite knowing him, Lana Lang could never help but swoon. 'Is everyone alright here?' he asked.

Despite the raging fires, everything became quiet, that was when a woman with auburn hair stepped into view and for a moment it took Clark off guard. 'Yeah, we're all good here, just need a way out,' Lana explained with a knowing grin.

Clark kept his stern look, he turned behind him and then he blew. They all watched in amazement as some of the fire was put out, creating their way out.

'We need to hurry,' he informed them. 'This facility is coming down any time soon. There's an evac chopper on its way. It'll get you guys out.' He then looked at Lana, for a brief moment. 'Stay close to me.'

The exchange was well hidden and Lana only nodded to him before they all followed the young man out of the oil rig.

'So this is what you do now?' he asked Lana as they ran through the tight tunnel.

The redhead chuckled in between breath. 'You're one to talk,' she remarked, looking up at her closest and longest friend. She had changed a lot since last he'd seen her, mostly the height, but the muck and dirt on her face? He was used to that by now.

Water splashed onto their faces as they raced up onto the helipad where a red and white Coast Guard rescue chopper was hovering just above the platform. Once it touched down Clark ushered the men forward and helped them onto the helicopter. He was about to get on himself when he heard a loud creaking from behind. The crane was about to fall onto the helipad. The helicopter wasn't even off the ground yet. Clark wiped the rain from his face and weighed his options.

Lana offered her hand to him, 'Clark come on I—'

Suddenly the giant tower of steel behind him came crashing down. It would have crushed them all and pushed Clark into the water. But fortunately, Clark had reacted with swiftness and caught the tower just in time.

He heard the people in the helicopter yelling for him to get in but then Lana advised them to escape and that he would be fine. So with some hesitation they did just that and vanished from the scene, carrying the dozen or so survivors, carrying Lana Lang to safety.

Well, at least he could rest knowing she'd be safe again, well, right now he was lifting a seventeen tonne metallic structure but afterwards he foresaw a very long nap.

His arms were getting strained, he could feel it, though it would not kill him, he was slowly losing his grip and his footing. Looking down he noticed he was on a single Wide-flange steel I-beam which had already began to bend. He would have let go and jumped into the sea if not for the rest of the facility caving in on itself.

_**BRRRAKKKOOOOM!**_

Clark was knocked on the head, unconscious as he dropped into the ocean waves.

As his body floated in the deep void, his mind asleep while deep down, he dreamed. Suspended there in the ocean, a pod of giant whales passed him, escaping the danger in the wake of the storm. Even the sharks, ignoring the family of gentle mammals, knew to swim away.

Slowly Clark opened his eyes, he saw an empty space of blue, aqua—he saw a figure a few leagues away. He was staring at him with some sort of staff in his hands. Clark closed his eyes again…he was just dreaming…

And then he wasn't.

He woke up to feel the coarse sand on the side of his face, the pitter-patter of rain gushing down on him. 'Ungh,' he groans as he gets himself up, pain coursing through his body all over. He was on a wide beach so it seemed. The storm was still raging and getting fiercer.

He was far, far away from the oil platform now.

'Hey!' someone yelled for him from afar, 'Over there!' To his right stood a couple of men in trench coats, wrenched in water. Clark approached the men well aware that he no longer had a shirt on, luckily his pants remained though.

Three old fishermen under a wooden shelter next to the water ushered him in, their little boat turned over to keep from flooding it, was next to them. Their shelter was small and was doing rather little to keep them dry and with the waters raging, Clark decided to pull the boat in closer.

'Come on in, son, the real storm hasn't even hit yet!' one of the fishermen told him.

Clark struggled to pull the boat in as his arms were still rather tired from the crane. 'I know but you're going to need more cover!'

Another fisherman, with time with spectacles came out to help. 'Wait, you think you can move that?'

'Yeah, I'm just a little…wiped out…'

The fisherman chuckled lowly as he watched him lift the boat and drag it to the shelter, his arms were shaking. 'You're pretty strong, kid.'

Clark huffed and grumbled. 'Not strong enough,' he sighed.

The first and last fishermen met them at the sides. The older one patted Clark on the shoulder. A huge smile on his face that was just visible under the rough beard. 'Well I tell you what…' and then they all lifted the dingy, '…we'll get it done _together_.'

Thus they became well protected under the shelter as the storm came in and Clark did all he could to keep the boat and shelter fastened.

When the raining and the thunder stopped, the winds slowed to a crawl, the fishermen gave him a spare shirt and coat. Clark thanked them and went about his way, heading northwards where it became even chillier.

In an empty storage room, Clark slept it wasn't as good as he could hear everything again. The room was in a small town, much like Smallville, only colder. Yet he could feel himself relax more. That is until finally…he heard it.

The crystal began to glow. An ominous glow that Clark recognised well by now. Quickly he packed his bag of resources he bought from town, thanked the sweet couple that let him stay in their storage house and continued on his journey.

He felt home was talking to him again. Thus he followed, heading even further north, past US soil.

_**There is a place, buried in the snow—**_

Clark marched through the white seas, determination in his eyes as he looked down at the crystal in his hand. Its glow was so enticing and comforting, like a sign from the heavens. The soldiers at Oscar's Dinar had provided with coordinates that he then cross-referenced with other charts.

Then a concentrated light beamed from the crystal. It pointed at the chart as if it knew where he was, what his situation had become. One of a thousand questions swimming around in his mind.

…_**A place where you can rest and rebuild.**_

His backpack normally never slowed him down, no matter what he had in it, but as his boots crunched through the snow, he realised he was sinking a little bit, his boots slowly disappearing into the snow. He huffed, tired as the weight of his bag finally caught up to him.

_**It is a place where you can find solace from your troubles, solitude from corruption…**_

He climbed higher atop the mountain wall. At that moment he cursed himself for not figuring out how to fly from ground instead of just picking up from rapidly gained momentum.

It was rough and a little rocky, but after a few more steps, his hands grabbed onto the very top and lifted himself up.

The sight that met him was more than just breathtaking…it was what he'd been searching for this whole time. The scenery offered him a giant mountain, alone, like a monument of time itself, standing ten or so miles away on the other side of a great ravine. Its white coat of sleek ice a mirror for the moon above was not natural but to the untrained eye, it blended in well.

It was the greatest thing he's ever seen…and it was where the crystal's whispers became roars. After all this time, after searching, sometimes aimlessly as it seemed, he finally found it. That was where he needed to be.

_**A remnant of our interstellar civilization…a fortress of Krypton's forgotten legacy…**_

Then he stopped, looking down at the foot of the great big mountain of ice where light reflected upon the white face like lamps. It appeared to be a camp site of forty or more tents, and flying both American and Canadian flags. They were also definitely military, what with camouflaged equipment and advanced weaponry.

Looking past them, Clark x-rayed through the ice but got only glimpses of what looked like a pyramid.

_**But you will have to defend it…you will have to take it home…as close to the ever shifting Northern point as possible. **_

**-=O=-**

**-=SEEK—FIND=-**

**Author's Note:**

**So tell me what you think. This one was quite interesting for me as that I was quite relaxed when I started writing it. It took me a while to do so as that bug known as procrastination was ever-present in my household. Maybe genetics?**

**I do appreciate the feedbacks I get, they've helped me a lot, not just the one for this fic but my earlier ones too and not just for fanfiction but for any other projects I'm working on. So please, keep commenting, keep giving me advice—obviously as respectful as you can, naturally. **

**I think the greatest problem I have is that I don't always proofread my work afterwards when it comes to fanfiction. I do it while I'm writing the story, always, but afterwards I don't always proofread.**


	19. The Beast

**Chapter Eighteen**

**THE BEAST**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**CLASSIFIED**_

Legends, folklore, myth—stories used not just to entertain, but to teach, for hidden within these tales often lay the wisdom of history.

And every custom, every nation, has its wisdom…

In a small town greatly influenced in Native American culture, rose a legend of a great white animal that protected its boarders. With every innocent scream, every child's cries, this creature came to put to right, to soothe and restore balance. It was believed to be an ancient guardian spirit of the lands, protecting not just its people, but every other living thing.

Like a few years back when a housing development company bought off land nearby to build a luxury hotel had more than ten families evicted from their homes. When they started chopping down trees by the roots, the animals fled, some unsuccessfully as a small boy from the town had witnessed.

One day the builders stopped and looked at their work with shock, horror and confusion. All of their equipment were crushed, their trucks left in wreckage and their progress buried under the dirt. Every time they restarted their employed work the next day it was gone. But it was the last night before their boss pulled the plug that they saw it. On a hill, looking down at them with red glowing eyes.

A white wolf as big as a lion howled at the moon… then at them.

The town's elder had warned them of the creature. He said that this was protected land and that the town had already built its fair share, another would tip the balance.

Thus they left never to return to wreak havoc and the white wolf passed back into legends…

So why was Dr Silas Stone looking at a giant white wolf laid upon a table, strapped by the ankles and snout, surrounded by men and women in lab coats, poking and prodding the poor beast unapologetically.

'You know, when I took this job, I didn't realise that we were bypassing animal rights,' he sighed as he took a clipboard and pen. There were a few soldiers guarding the scientists as they worked. One that Silas knew well was Colonel Marty Jordan Jr, an old friend of his from Harvard.

'Doc, trust me, this thing aint one of our—' just before the colonel finishes, the dog howls in pain as the scientists jolt him with enough electricity to power Star City.

One of the scientists with a blond beard began noting down observations. 'Heartrate slightly raised, brainwaves in flux but so far no residual damage.'

'I don't think we can attain any blood works from this one,' pointed out one of Stone's female colleagues. 'Try Luthor's Substance K.'

Silas cringed at the request. 'Is that wise? Substance K is highly radiated—it's likely to kill him, especially if it's an alien like The Superman.'

'No, according to Mr Luthor it should only weaken the alien's bodily functions.'

Dr Stone sighed in defeat and looked to Jordan pleadingly. The colonel was about to speak up, looking at the giant wolf as it struggled to breathe but found the words were barred in by the presence of a higher voice.

'Might I remind you Dr Stone, that you read the terms of agreement when you signed up, you know the requirements and risks but also the benefits.' General Corben stood with his hands behind his back, an unapologetic stern look on his shaven face. 'You didn't think that five hundred thousand dollars a month wouldn't come with some hard work.'

'Sir, I know, it's just…when I signed on you said that it was a matter of national security, that I was doing my country a service. You said it was an alien?'

'And it is, Doctor,' Corben assured him. 'In fact, if Mr Luthor is right, then this animal is a native of Superman's home-world.'

Silas snickered. Now he got it. That was the reason for their treatment of the wolf? Luthor was trying to find a way to harm The Superman. That seemed a little effed up. He isn't even sure that this canine is even an alien, or that it came from the same planet as Metropolis' former hero.

He played with the thought that perhaps it was merely an Earth aberration, mutated through genetic manipulation or perhaps it is an ancient creature with his metagene that allowed him to live this long. Honestly, ideas were pouring into his head at that moment with so many explanations that didn't necessarily tie in with aliens from the stars.

Unlike his fair haired friend, all stern and unimaginative, he lacked not just creativity but an open mind that he'd garnered from command.

'Huh, I thought I signed up for science, not to kick an already dead animal in the balls.' He mumbled what he thought was an insult conveyed incoherently. 'I mean what the hell does all of this, have to do with my Metahuman research?'

'No, Dr Stone,' rebuked General Corben, still standing in earshot, 'you are here because you need money to send your son to college and give him a future. As for your research…'

What the general said seemed to muffle out from his ears and something in Silas snapped and he made to give the general a piece of his mind if not for his friend's insistence on restraint. They watched the general walk out of the tent without another word.

The other scientists looked at him like he had morphed into a monster of his own. Silas tried his best to ignore them, but Marty Jorden did not get a pass with him. 'What the hell was that all about, Marty?'

The colonel grabbed Stone by the arm, leading him a little away from the team. 'Alright, Silas, that's enough.' He let his anger subside before readdressing his friend, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder. 'You took this job because the money would help with the divorce and get Victor into a good school. You don't have to like it, just remember what you're doing it for.'

Silas groaned shaking his head. 'I know what I'm doing it for…' he lowered his voice and tone, as if he was ashamed with this line of thought '…but will my son?'

The two watched the dog's rising chest. For now the subject was stable. It seemed to resist any pain that they inflicted on it which was an impressive feat of will they'd ever seen, considering they'd been at it for weeks now. Despite what it looked like, the subject was not completely invulnerable. Extreme electrocution did some damage and now they knew that Substance K also weakened the beast's skin.

Stone's colleagues continued their examinations.

'Plus, look at him, Stone,' Marty gestured to the wolf, unsure if it was disgust at the creature, or a weird form of sympathy. 'That's an alien in front of you. It's not your typical green Martian but neither is Superman and look at him now, he's got an invasion ship hovering around the moon. Freaky is what it is.'

Doctor Stone could not disagree more with the colonel, they often did have disagreements even as children. But they were friends nonetheless. So he looked on in sadness at the alien subject on the table, at his eyes. 'No, Jordan…what I see is an innocent animal who's probably been on this planet far longer than either of us. Maybe even Superman has as well? Who know—we didn't actually stop to ask him now did we.' His brows furrowed as the procedures commenced and more jolts of electricity were shot. 'This is wrong,' he said disapprovingly.

The thing is, for Silas, he struggled to see what was right and what was wrong. He always has. This was another thing he found contrasted him with Jordan. Where the colonel was a natural boy scout when it came to his fellow man, Silas couldn't do that.

But there was one thing that science had told him…This planet…was never theirs to begin with, so what right did they have to deny others asylum here?

The soldier understood where he was coming from, but orders were orders, and each of them had signed contracts. He looked to the dog, in particular, to his neck where it looked like a chain necklace with an emblem dangled over the table. It was the "S" shield he'd seen on The Superman. 'You may be right, Silas…'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

The snowing had stopped, and Clark could see the moon shining above without having to squint of focus so hard through the thickets.

He could not jump down because it would cause too loud a sound but there wasn't a straight road so he found himself climbing down as slowly and quietly as he could. Thankfully he detected no security measures in his way which was good.

What was bad however, was piece of snowy land below his feet collapsing under his weight. Avalanche!

Next thing Clark knew, he was grappling at any piece of solid land he could, trying at least to slow himself down.

In the camp below, it was clear they had heard the grumbling and made haste to barricade the area. It was a little tumble, not too disconcerting. When the avalanche finally hit, it barely made the top of the wall.

One of the soldiers thought they saw someone riding the snowy waves. They combed the place for whatever it was but found nothing.

Clark took a spare uniform from the camp's store room. There was no name tag on them which provided both advantages and drawbacks. He lowered his cap to hide his face as he tried blending into the camp, walking casually, like he had orders and purpose within the camp. He sort of did though.

From the files he managed to glimpse in one of the tents he found both United States government's official stamp, and not surprisingly, the LexCorp logo as well. It was a government initiative activated at General Sam Lane's request after the appearance of The Superman. Clark looked at the top of the mountain. They were gathering up whatever they could, relating to extra-terrestrials. It didn't surprise him as it should have but he'd seen similar installations upon his travels. People believe that there is a connection between aliens and their own destinies. His connections lie within the great artificial mountain.

He studied the military camp site. About thirty tents, twelve portable buildings and more than a hundred military armed vehicles. The top of the mountain that they had uncovered revealed some sort of alloy that even to Clark seemed strange. He'd need to get closer in order to get a more thorough look.

He tightened his cap and walked on among the military personnel, his eyes continuing to scan his surroundings under three different E.M frequencies.

After a while of walking aimlessly and listening for helpful conversations, obviously no one would be stupid enough to discuss casually anything classified. Clark thought it was ridiculous as soon as he thought it but at the same time, he was hopeful.

He chose a portable near the centre. It was slightly bigger than some of them but he couldn't see through the walls. He suspected it was lined with lead.

The portable was as simple inside as it was out—just a normal looking office space. He began to search through the drawers behind an exceptionally large desk that flew a couple of American flags. He flicked through files pertaining information on the mountain chain they called The Wall and found out it had once been just one big landmass dating twenty thousand years-old. It started to crumble about the end of the Second World War.

The top of the highest mountain was not snow but an unidentifiable metallic alloy with some traces of iron. The markings suggested an alien origin but Mr Luthor found it intriguing enough to identify connections to Sumerian hieroglyphs.

…_what we have found in the glaciers was white crystalline alloy as formidably tough as diamonds or titanium steel. _

He read on trying to see if they'd uncovered any means of getting in.

_There is an expected air-pocket about twenty-thousand feet above sea level but with no way of breaching the hardened ice which has developed an impenetrable layer around two thousand metres from the base of the mountain._

_The object itself is estimated to be 146.5 metres, 481 ft. tall, each base side was roughly 230.4 metres, 755,9 ft long… _

Turning the pages, he paused when he heard something. It was a whimper, a whining from outside that sounded like it came from an animal, trying to howl. Yet Clark felt strangely drawn to it. So he went outside and followed the sounds.

There was a tent twice as large as the others, with a lot of lights on brightly. That was where the sounds were coming from, along with a riot of voices spurting out statistics. He peeked through the side flap and was more than surprised to find a giant wolf strapped to an observation table.

The creature was surrounded by lab-coats, handing things, pocking and prodding it. He could even see the electrical currents zapping through its body like convulsing waves. The blasts where so big that they flashed almost blindingly if not for what looked to be a barrier that stretched over its entire body, Clark feared an outburst of energy.

The dog did not seem to register the pulses. Clark X-rayed it and saw no permanent internal trauma which was good…too good. What was that thi—

That chain around its neck. The blue metallic pendant hanging over the table—the "S" shield that he once wore on his jacket when he was Nightwing. What did the dog have to do with— 'Krypto—'

Clark didn't even get to finish muttering the word when the dog's ear twitched, its head shot to his direction and there it was just staring at him. All of a sudden, the busy scientists ceased their working and their eyes fixed on the intruder. His hat was off and they all got a good look at his face.

The scientists gasped and Colonel Jordan hurriedly called for the guards.

The intruder walked past, not giving much attention to the fear and panic in the room. He walked to the dog, hearing his calls and for some reason, the barking and howling and yelping had gotten to his heart, pulling at it.

What are you?

Do you know me? Who I am? _What_ I am?

The wolf followed his movements, steady steps, ocean blue orbs stuck on the creature…the alien.

Colonel Jordan then pulled out a gun and demanded that the intruder stop his advance. Clearly the boy didn't seem to notice or care but Jordan chose to keep up his aim. 'Sir, I said stay where you are and don't come any closer!' but he was met with red glowing eyes and all of a sudden, his gun handle and trigger felt hot. It was unbearably and intense burning. He threw the gun away in pain.

'Superman,' gaped one of the coated scientists.

The boy walked over to the animal on the table. Its sad eyes continued to gaze at him pleadingly. He raised a hand, holding it toward him but before his hand could move any closer… 'Wait, stop!' The Superman paused as one of the dark skinned scientists came forth. He walked to the aliens, he wouldn't say with fear as much caution.

Clark watched as he moved to a glass panel on a metal pillar beside the bed. After tapping on it the bed flashed blue then clear again. Clark gave the doctor an approving smile, 'A quantum energy field?'

Silas beamed and bobbed his head as he stood aside for him.

'Stone, what are you doing?!'

They heard the crunch of boots in the snow. Fifty maybe sixty men he deduced, on their way to apprehend him. All of the scientists backed out of the away, hiding against the folds of the tent's containments.

The white wolf got up from the table, growling furiously at his captors yet he seemed quite tame as he backed away slowly. But before he vanished, the wolf looked back to Clark, waiting for him. Clark gave him a silent nod…and followed.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

There was a legend of a spirit from the heavens. The spirit came down to protect the world on behalf of the creators. The old people of the lands revered it…the ghost of the mountains. The White Wolf.

For as long as the town at the foot of the mountain could remember, it revered the spirit, asked for its protection and sometimes…it came.

Legend had it that when invaders came to sweep the lands, that the wolf stood on the mountain and the next day, the invaders fled. But at times…it let people in. The tribe became a town and the people grew.

Soon the old ways were forgotten, and so too their protector.

But oftentimes, they heard his call from the mountain of straight edges, and with every cry for help of an innocent, every tear of the young, the wolf comes to protect them.

General John W. Corben however, held against the very existence of this legend up until they first captured the thing. That was but a fraction of the mission entrusted to him. The order had come directly from the Commander-in-Chief, under the banner of the United States, A.R.G.U.S was reinstated. Now it was dedicated to learning as much as they could about the alien known as The Superman.

Even after his flight from Metropolis, from the public's eye, they still kept the name. It stuck and no one in his unit would call him anything else but.

'This alien, is not a friend,' he lectured to his men. 'He is an enemy of the State. He is an enemy of the planet. He has an armada on the moon, waiting to strike.'

He moved through the site with a handful of his greatest men, the rest scouted through for The Superman. Colonel Jordan said that he was in one of their uniforms, unnamed and they already knew that Superman would never take up a gun. All of his men had firearm, all they had to do was find one single man that didn't…and also had a giant white dog with him.

'Search everything, and bring me both of them, I want them alive!' barked Corben.

'Wow, you sounded like Darth Vader just now.' He turned when who should come barging in, but the fearless Lois Lane herself, marching up to meet him in thermos and army boots. She had a camera dangling around her covered neck.

'What in blazing hell are _you_ doing here?'

The brown haired reporter shrugged, 'My job?' she answered simply. Corben had enough of her and continued to march on, barking even more orders to his men. Lois followed right behind him. 'I'm here following a lead about Superman's whereabouts,' Corben made to interject something but again, Lois blocked him. 'And before you ask on whose authority, we happen to be on Canadian soil and the Pallet Council overruled your injunction to keep guys like me away.'

Corben growled exasperated. 'Alright then, Lois, what's the alien to you?'

'I could ask you the same thing, John,' she stopped him. 'You're a soldier, but your hunting down one man?'

At this Corben pushed her aside, and pointed an accusing figure at her. 'That "_man_" is our enemy! He isn't even human, and he proves that by keeping that ship a secret!'

Lois shook her head in disbelief, 'You don't honestly believe what Luthor says do you. Didn't you used to hate him?'

'I never said that,' the army general defended. 'I said I didn't trust him. But right now he's our only option.' A lesser evil, he wanted to cap off.

'Well I think he's the wrong one…and now you're like his right hand man.' She saw the discomfort in his eyes and let the general go, marching off with the others to the section of the camp buried in part under snow. She thought about following them but ultimately chose to abandon him and search for Superman herself.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

Meanwhile, at the very foot of the mountain, Clark followed the dog as he sprinted through. They needed to hurry, though he knew none of their weapons could ever harm him, he was not in the mood for ricocheted accidents.

Damn! His path was monitored, twenty or so soldiers searching for him. Quickly he pulled the dog behind a tent and waited.

Something startled the dog and he started growling behind him. Clark turned around and to his delight found Lois Lane catching up to him. 'Hey, what are you doing here?'

'Well, I'm an investigative reporter and you left some rather big footprints to follow.'

'I didn't mean to.'

He was about to leave their hiding spot but felt Lois holding him back a little. 'Look…you know I didn't tell them your secret, right?'

'I know.' He offered her a smile and she suddenly felt giddy again. 'I trust you,' now she was starting to blush up, but luckily she was saved further embarrassment when he gave the all clear and made to sneak out. 'So what's the plan? Why are we here?'

'We're following the wolf. He knows why I'm here.' She hoped he knew how weird that sounded and by the look he gave her a moment later, she was certain he did. 'I have a feeling he's from my home planet, and it looks like Lex Luthor does too.' He then held out the collar on the giant wolf's neck, the medallion in the same shape as the symbol she saw on Superman's chest. 'Do you trust me, Lois?'

For a brief second they locked gaze. She smiled at him, reassuringly and to him he saw no trace of doubt in her, 'I trust you.'

That was all the assurance he needed and they followed the wolf's lead. When they came across more opposition, Lois suggested a quick distraction, instructing Clark to topple a bit more of the mountain, having the soldiers follow it. So with his heat vision, Clark shot a sudden explosive beam at the mountain side he came from which formed into a small avalanche, making sure there were no life forms below.

Soon the wolf stopped at point directly below the top of the straight edged mountain. There was two thousand metres of mountain ice and snow separating them from whatever was behind it. Clark looked to the wolf for answers but he just simply nodded his head. Clark seemed to know what that nod was though, or at least he had a good idea.

Lois Lane watched as Superman's eyes began to glow red. He faced the wall of ice and it started to melt. 'This might take a while, Lois.'

She chuckled. 'I've got all night, Superman.'

Bit by bit, they tunnelled through with his heat vision acting as both a drill and a torch light.

'How are you doing this?' She inquired, seeing more use of his powers had her quite intrigued. When he was protecting Metropolis, the city saw a man that bounced bullets off of his chest, lift humungous vehicles and outrun multiple shots and danger simultaneously—he was faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

'It's complicated…my eyes both detect and emit various wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum and stored energy,' Clark explained. 'I focus some form of solar energy and am able to cast it out in beams. Other than that I'm not sure…that's actually why I'm here.'

'To get some answers?'

'Yes,' Clark told her, trying his best not to turn his head to look at her. 'That's why I left Metropolis, Ms Lane.'

'So it wasn't because the world now knows you're an alien and that you've brought an army to invade Earth?'

Clark stopped, his eyes returned to their normal blue colour and he looked down at her a little offended. 'I don't know what's happening, Lois, but I do know where my allegiance rest. I was raised on Earth, it's the only life I know.' He then faced the wall again. His eyes started to glow again and the ice began to sweat. 'That's why I'm here. My time in Metropolis has shown me that I've got a lot to learn before I'm ready to save anyone.'

Lois was looking at him in utter disbelief. 'What, you're going to leave us in the hands of Lex Luthor?'

Clark shrugged a little. 'At the moment he seems to be doing a good job, but I suspect there's more to his motives.'

To this, Lois seemed to understand and refrained from questioning him anymore, though she clearly had a lot more questions in that busy head of hers. She actually felt quite proud of herself for her restraint. Her dad would definitely be proud of her.

The three crunched their way deeper into the mountain, the tunnel like a long circular pipe, wet and cold, Lois turned around and their entrance was but a small dot. They continued for another fifteen minutes before they reached a part of the wall that seemed stronger than the rest. Clark told the Daily Planet reporter to take a few steps back for safety as a sudden burst of heat exploded from his eyes, crashing the wall.

They shuffled through the rubble and what they saw on the other side left both of them in speechless awe. They reached an air pocket as big as the Roman Colosseum, but in the middle, they found the base of a grand pyramidal monument.

It was clearly not natural. The surfaces were sleek and smooth, like a type of white and blueish crystal or glass.

'Is this…is that what we're looking for?' Lois tugged on his sleeve, making sure he saw it too and that she was not dreaming. 'Is…is it yours?'

Clark didn't think he could answer that and just began surveying the cavern. It was like a mausoleum of ice and ships dating back from ancient Greek to Viking sea vessels, wrecked up against giant pillars of blue ice.

The wolf nudged him a little bit before leaping to impossible heights for any dog, almost like he was flying and landed right beside the structure. With dark eyes he gazed at the other two being, waiting.

Lois looked to Clark apprehensively, 'I think he wants us to follow.'

Clark moved to jump down, the drop was around a hundred feet, maybe more. He was stopped by Lois reminding him that she wouldn't be able to jump as high as both he and the dog. Clark gave a nervous chuckle and asked if she wouldn't mind he hold her, after which he scooped her in his arms and then leapt off the edge, flying as high as the dog before she felt the rush of descent.

The rush of gravity had pushed her heart to sudden run but oddly, in his arms, so close to his chest, she felt safe. When he landed, she was still clinging onto his neck.

Clark cleared his throat, 'Excuse me…uh…Lois, I kinda need you to get off now.'

It took her a moment to register what he was saying before she flew off of him in a fit of blushes and stomach butterflies.

Clark simpered at her teasingly before being called back by the mere tingle what lay before them. Clark touched the surface of the building and felt a profound chill run through his entire body like electricity. The pyramid was cold, freezing, but there did not seem to be any sign of rust. This must be millennia years old and looked no older than a couple of months. Cool and black metal.

Soon the loud bark of the white wolf grabbed their attentions once again. The creature had wandered off to the far right side of the pyramid. They followed him, around the corner until he stopped at the centre and started digging through the snow. Clark looked down and through the snow, saw some sort of hole on the pyramid, a metre below the ground on. It was a small hole about as small as…

He quickly dug deep into the ground. It was a hole in the shape of a diamond, the shape of that crystal he had. 'What are you doing?' Lois quizzed as the wolf began to bark and howl. Clark took his artefact and placed it in the slot.

Suddenly, a creak as trail of light grew from the hole, around the side of the pyramid and the...an entrance opened up in the middle of the hole.

A dark and unpredictable passageway into the superstructure, Clark was open mouthed, staring into the abyss that the dog didn't seem to mind much and walked right in. He moved to follow but Lois grabbed his wrist, drawing him out again. 'Are you sure you want to be going in there?'

She was right, Clark thought. In his heart, he was rather uncertain about the situation…but when it came to his search for truth, any truth, he needed to dig deeper. Deep down, further than his thumping heart, in his soul, he could trust it, he could trust the wolf. He could trust the symbol.

'All your life searching for a story and you're not at all curious about this one?'

He walked in and extended his hand to which she took hesitantly. The doors closed behind them and for a brief moment they were in complete darkness.

They ventured down the passageway all the while Lois kept a hand tickling a GLOCK on her belt. 'Is that a standard for Metropolitan Newspaper reporters?' Clark pointed at the firearm.

The intrepid reporter chuckled. 'Old habits die hard, huh.'

An object appeared a few feet away, hovering innocently like a balloon. They ceased their movement as it got closer. Both held their breaths as the object, some sort of machine, bobbed its way to its new guests. When it finally stopped in front of them, Clark spotted another slot on its surface the same shape. Again, he inserted the crystal and immediately, the corridors lit up.

'Welcome, Son of El,' the voice startled them and Clark spun around to locate its origins. Was that the pyramid?

'Hello?' he called out. 'Is there anyone there?'

No response…not until a loud crashing echoed throughout the structure. 'Warning, sir,' said the machine. 'The complex is under fire. Immediate take off is requested.'

Both Clark and Lois exchanged more than worried looks as the banging and clanking echoed through the pyramid. 'It's Corben,' Lois speculated. 'He's a US General who seems to dislike you.'

Clark chortled sarcastically, 'He'll have to get in line. The whole world hates me right now.'

'Don't worry, I'm working on it.'

As if sensing their confusion with the situation, the machine offered some help, 'This way, sir.'

Before the robot left, Clark stopped to address the reporter, a look of dread on his face, maybe a little uncertain. She asked him what was wrong, he was considering a thought. 'I can't take you with me, Lois.'

'What's the matter, you going to throw me away now?'

Clark shook his head awkwardly and took her hand, leading her back to the door they came in through. He opened it and took her out and over the gorge. 'You need to get out, get back before something goes wrong,' he had to shout to her over the heavy explosions. 'Follow the road back but as soon as you get to camp, you'll probably be asked to leave with other scientists. Take the next chopper back to the States.'

'What about you?' she asked him apprehensively.

The taller form shook his head. 'This is where I have to be.' He placed a hand on her cheek and smiled as brightly as he could muster, 'Hold the frontline for me?'

Lois smirked and playfully punched him in the arm. 'Suit yourself,_ Smallville_,' and then ran off leaving a dumbfounded Clark open mouthed, behind.

'What…how did—'

She turned her head, still running through the tunnel. She coned her mouth and shouted back to him, 'Investigative reporter, remember!'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

They had it under control. Colonel Martin Jordan Jr was smiling when they thought they had The Superman cornered. Heat signatures led to the base of the mountain and seemed to go into the ice. The plan was to wait and watch what the alien did.

But it all changed when General Corben received word from Lex Luthor that he didn't wanted the alien anywhere near the asset. Thus they just opened fire.

Their weapons launched, and fired, exploding against the mountain but upon the tip of the mountain, their firepower did nothing, not even scratch it. It became clear that if Superman found solace in the mountain…they could not touch it.

The weaponry bounced off and nearly killed some of the soldiers below if not for a beam from the actual pyramid shooting down the fallen rockets.

Jordan went to Stone and commanded him to lead the other scientists to the helicopters. 'It's too dangerous here, Stone. Take them back to Metropolis. Tell no one.'

'What about you?'

Jordan tried to avoid his glare as if he were expecting better from a soldier. 'I've got a job to do, Silas.'

The shorter man grabbed him by the collar. 'He is not our enemy, Jordan. Think for yourself for once!'

He shook his head. 'Always the voice of reason, huh Silas?' He smiled, patted hi on the shoulder and looked to Corben, yelling and screaming at his men, requesting, forcefully to his men. He roared, fierce as a lion, shooting his sub-machine gun at the range.

When he did as he was told, leading the others to safety he was surprised to find a woman already waiting there.

Lois sighed in relief. 'About time, you guys,' she met with Dr Stone and brought them to the chopper all ready to go. 'We had to wait for you guys for hours. Come on,' Stone was astonished with how this woman presented herself with such demanding and leading qualities. She pulled everyone into the helicopter, 'Let's get the hell out of here, nerds.'

Dr Stone was the last one, he was looking at the mountain, glowing brightly with human weaponry, exploding against the side of the mount.

'Are you coming, professor?'

Silas looked on in sadness. He looked at them, at the rockets that burst into a certain yellow energy when it made contact with the surface. On a tank it would eat up the metal in a matter of seconds. It did nothing against what lie beneath the alp. The giant guns on their own tanks that shot out high intensity energy waves that could rip through cities, held to a stop by one object.

Dr Stone moaned. 'I built those weapons,' he said. And then, the ground grumbled and to everyone's shock, the mountain started to collapse from the sides—no…it was opening up. In its place was a giant pyramid, an object of universal mystery and it was taking off like an air craft.

Everyone, from the top of the cliff to the valley below, stared up into the blackened skies. It hovered above them for a little longer before…it just vanished.

In a blink of an eye, one of the United State of America's most important contained asset disappeared into thin air.

'I do hope, despite everything, Ms Lane, that the Superman's still on our side.'

That was when they saw the rockets falling after they failed to bring down the asset were destroyed by the _alien ship_. Lois smiled to herself, a little proud at where she chose to rest her faith on. 'He'll be back for us, Doctor.'

**-=O=-**

**-=FORTRESS=-**

**Author's Note:**

**I sort of believe that in order to make a Superman story relevant is not to sugar coat the human condition. Even the original Richard Donner **_**Superman **_**film depicted a realistic life for its time if you look closely. For example, when Clark was establishing his honest nature, both Perry White and Lois Lane were shocked. When she jokingly guessed that he sends money to 'sweet grey-haired old mother' he simply corrects she's silver haired and they all pause and look at him. Or when a guy is caught stealing fruit. **

**Me? I'm mostly using the films for inspirations, a little bit from comics too. **

**Aaaanywaaaayyyy…Sorry it took more time than I thought to write this. Life's been hectic. **


	20. Build The Walls High

**Chapter Nineteen**

**BUILD THE WALLS HIGH**

**LUTHOR TO TAKE GUARDIAN PROJECT GLOBAL**

**by Bruce Timmons.**

When corporate giant Lex Luthor of LexCorp first announced the _Secure Infinity Project_ with a presentation of their capabilities, people had just reeled in from the shocking revelation of extra-terrestrial life. The masses became anxious in regards to their own security, and in their time of uncertainty, Luthor arrived with a very peculiar proposition.

On Friday the 11th of September of this year 2015, Metropolis saw the future of public security as we know it with the unveiling of flying robots designed to protect the citizens of Metropolis. From national security issues to simple assault and theft, LexCorp Guardians, as it has been designated, is intended to replace S.W.A.T. enforcement in the coming weeks.

**-=O=-**

**DAILY PLANET NEWS**

**LOMBARD:** Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Daily Planet News on Channel 52, I'm Steve Lombard.

**KELLEY:** And I'm Heather Kelley.

**LOMBARD: **For the past few weeks Metropolis has experienced one of the world's first robotic protection projects in history, by LexCorp's Guardians. These Guardians will patrol the streets at night starting from seven PM sharp until sunrise—and since its activation, crime has been on an all-time low.

**KELLEY: **In fact, Mayor William Sackett has previously commented on the drastic reduction of crime in the past three days alone and seems to have had a profound effect on his bid for congress. This morning Mayor Sackett addressed the press with a message of promise which included an announcement of LexCorp's future in security and law enforcement.

(Cut to Mayor Sackett's Press Conference)

**SACKETT: **Citizens of Metropolis, my people—when I was elected, this city was in dismay, within the darkness lie crimes from the worst, to the petty. I've watched this beautiful city fall into the decay the likes of Gotham, ruled over by crime and corruption…but no more!

(Crowd cheers)

Now, obviously, no city is without crime, but Metropolis, our city of tomorrow, has been without organised crime, thanks to this brilliant man here, ladies and gentlemen I give you Alexander Luthor!

(Enters Lex Luthor)

**LUTHOR: **Thank you, Will. People of Metropolis, I am honoured, greatly honoured to stand before you today, to be witness to our great city, rising above the rest, paving the way to a better tomorrow, as we always have and as we always will be.

In fact, LexCorp has just joined in the frontlines protecting this great nation from outside threats. Border Patrol even war, soon, America will have Guardians protecting them. Just imagine, if we can clean the streets of Metropolis, if we can bring peace to our neighbours, then let us see how we clean up the chaos of the world!

(Crowd cheers)

-=**O=-**

**GRANT: **Police Force raided through seventeen caches around Metropolis and New York where mob boss Niccolò Maroni has kept more than two-hundred million dollars' worth of drugs including the notorious experimental drug created by Gotham's Dr Jonathan Crane.

LexCorp's Guardians simultaneously entered the caches, confiscating everything and arresting the entire Maroni crime family in one of the biggest trials and drug charge convictions in Metropolitan history.

CEO Lex Luthor is now entering talk with the Department of Homeland Security to install Robotic Guardians in every US battalion by the following year.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**CENTRAL DATA FILTER NEXUS. **_

It feels…invigorating, the flow of information, of codes running through his body, adding to it, completing it. Small, pixelated boxes of data surrounded him like planets and creating passage around the dark room.

'Yes, yes, yessss…' came a low grumble masked by digital pixilation. 'You humans are primitive, yes, but you have started your journey upon mastery of knowledge and information,' he spoke to a security guard already left cold and lifeless. 'So much…potential and you waste it.'

The being of light walked across the great dome, another monitor glowed on the opposite wall. He places a hand on it and another stream of blue light emerges to join the rest creeping around his body. Instantaneously he felt the rushing sensation like finally being rid of a heavy burden on his shoulders.

An influx of the planet's digital data bank yelled to him as he feasted upon the information. He yelped as a jolt of power caused some sort of static that interfered with his construct. It only lasted a second though. He shook his head, bearing in mind that it would be soon set right.

'So much knowledge and it is wasted on such a futile race—brought to dominance by mere coincidence and circumstance.' He moved to another monitor, carelessly stepping over the dead guard. 'You have the means, the tools, for your own salvation…but you lack the will.' He took the data from that monitor and looked back at the dead man against the wall. An invisible hand lifted the guard into the air by the head, meeting the Light, eye to eye.

He was a middle aged man, clean shaven face, broad shoulders and a beer gut. There was a photo in his pocket, he could see it. A little girl—the security guard's offspring, he presumed. Disgusted, his purple orbs intensified and smiled as the girl burned. With his telepathic probe, he discovered the man was a rather pathetic life form. Divorced, alcohol problems, low level intellect…it irked him.

Yet, he never intended to fatally kill the man. He did not intend on killing everyone in the facility. Besides, these creatures did not have long to live. What good would it have done to eliminate them now? It was a matter of convenience—they had seen things that they had no right to see, things that would complicate things.

'You lack the conviction to save yourself…thus I fear you will never accomplish what I need. You will die…' and with that, crushed the man's head. 'You will all…' he paused when he saw on a monitor, a news feed of the Kryptonian swooping through the building of Metropolis like a bird. Brainiac's mouth widened from ear to ear. 'You will all die.'

** -O-**

**-THE GOTHAM CITY TIMES-**

**BOATS TURNED AROUND**

**By Vicky Vale**

In the months that followed the sudden departure of Metropolis' Superman, _Lex Luthor's_ Guardians have been on the frontline on the fight against organised crime which resulted in the arrest of the entire Maroni family. So that's Gotham City down for Guardian robot enforcements. Gotham Mayor Anthony Garcia has already commissioned an order for fifty Guardians to be inducted into the GCPD by fall next year.

And that is '…the first stage of expansion…' as according to CEO Lex Luthor who went public with his plans to globalise the Secure Infinity starting with border patrol of the United States Ocean. The main priority is procession of Illegal refugees and asylum seekers looking to escape war-torn or undeveloped nations. This global affair has raised many issues within the UN, sparking worldwide debate on where our generous nature and humanity draw the line.

'Currently, the quota is to simply detain refugees arriving in boats, process them and then determine the next appropriate action necessary to maintain a peaceful coexistence,' says Department of Homeland Security, United States Secretary _Charles Johnson_ in an interview with The Daily Planet's Lois Lane…

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

A boy and his mother wait on deck of a crowded boat, rocking from side to side as the waves crashed the sides. The rain poured down on his dark skin. He sat upon his mother's lap curiously looking at another family huddled in the corner. Everyone carried a look of dread, it disturbed him.

Yes at first the prospect of leaving their home, no matter how horrible it was, was quite terrifying, but his mother took his hand, bruised and bleeding, she told him that it was going to be an adventure. They were going to a far off land, far away from…the destruction. She even brought him a little T-shirt with the Superman logo on it while his father gave him a small blue toy beetle he found in an archaeological site on the outskirts.

'This will keep you safe, alright, sweetheart,' she smiled, caressing his soft cheeks.

He nodded, wordlessly and hugged her tightly for the gifts.

No…to him this was more than an adventure. His mum and him…they were going to see America. He beamed up when he saw a figure take form from the misty waters, veiled in water and wind. They were going to see Superman.

The figure hovered above the water and approached, eyes glowing red.

When they took off, the captain had warned everybody to take caution and grab hold of any piece of the boat fastened down so as to prevent any accidents. Nobody was allowed to get up, but that didn't stop the boy whom had been getting up and looking out onto the oceans ever since they left Bialya. His eyes filled with wonder, even while the others' were filled with tears.

Did he miss his father though? And his uncles, his aunties, his friends? Yes he did but right now, he was on a quest to get his mother to a new world. 'Jaime, please get down from there!'

'Look mother, I see something out there!'

'Please, my son, be careful—'

The boat suddenly smashed through a wall of water, flooding the vessel. The mother had to stand up to stop from drowning. 'Mama!' Jaime ran in to help his poor mother up and away from the side of the boat. 'Are you okay?'

'I am okay, Jaime, but please, be careful around the edge.'

That was when the boy spotted their captain, whispering to his first-mate, their faces displayed something of concern…dread. He moved in closer, where he could begin to make out what they were saying. He could understand a little bit of their Arabic, it was of a strange dialect.

'There's a hole in the boat,' he heard. 'We're taking up too much water too quickly.'

And 'We won't make it to shore…at least not all of them.'

This shook the little boy to the bone. He looked back at his mother. She was talking to another woman. Clearly she was not smiling, not many reasons to, but still. If she heard…

Suddenly, another wave struck the boat head on…this time there was no hiding the damage from his mother now. The vessel, as broken down as it already was, had been cleaved in two by the ocean. Jaime leapt to his mother whom was on the verge of falling overboard, holding her by the arm as so many others fell into the sea.

It was like a nightmare, the screams that echoed in his ears, he saw them, the other families, children his age and younger, falling into the abyss.

'Mama!' he called, attempting to reel her in but found he lacked the strength. He was crying now, screaming as loud as he could for a god to descend, to help him. But then…did he get that wish, did God answer his prayers? A figure hovered into view, flying in mid-air, his arms on his sides. And his eyes, glowed red. 'Supe…Superman?'

It was his hero. He had heard so many stories, a man that fought for the people…A man that would help him, help him save his mother.

But he just stood there, looking. Why wasn't he helping?

'Citizens of Bialya, you are in restricted US waters, please turn back.' He spoke, but it was inhuman, monotonous, and almost robotic.

'Please, sir, we need your help!' cried Jaime though as he looked around he found no one else about. The captain, the refugees, they were all gone from view. All who were left was him and his mother both hanging on the boat's railing as it slowly sank. 'Please, Sir!'

Then…it revealed itself. Platinum body, red eyes, standing there as stiff as a tree, on itch silver chest was not that shielded S that he had seen before. Instead, it was an _L_ in a circle. Oh, it was not Superman. It was a machine! 'You will be taken to be processed according to United States Law in due time,' it proclaimed, its tone starting to sound more forceful. 'We will determine in what manner we will be returning you to your home state.'

Jaime could not believe it…

The machine approached him and he stared into the robot's red eyes. Its face was supposed to be maintain a neutral look, then why did it seem so…angry?

It towered over him, his hands reaching for his neck. 'Have a nice day.'

**-=O=-**

**-=\S/=-**

**Author's Note: I'm sorry for this late entry. I've been finding difficulty in obtaining incentive to continue this for some reason. I need to find some inspiration fast. I guess I've been bummed out that Snyder said BvS is a Man of Steel sequel instead of confirming rumours that George Miller is looking to helm an actual Man of Steel stand-alone sequel.**

**I've been bummed out a lot these days.**

**Anyway, as a result of such writer's block, I tried instead to relinquish the stress of figuring out how to structure this in favour of curiosity and experimentation. I hope it worked on some level. I would have sent this in earlier but I've had a couple of problems with my computer. It's sort of falling apart, so far it is surviving on tape and nothing else.**

**Please review and tell me how to improve future chapters and maybe some commentary on how other characters are represented.**


	21. Birthright

**Chapter Twenty**

**BIRTHRIGHT**

All that Clark could really do—surrounded by so many strange gizmos that he was sure no one on Earth had ever seen before, was stand and watch as the ship entered between time and space for less than a second before passing into a field of complete white. The ship was hovering a few metres above the snow.

_Guiding process complete…triangulating Magnetic Polarity…84.9'N 131.0W-86.3'N 160.0'W…_

The ship informed him before stabilising into one spot, and then he felt the crystalloid ship finally touch ground. A slight grumble as it dug deeper into the ground…and then finally, it all went quiet.

_Genesis Fortress stabilising, foundations planted… _

Not knowing what else to do, Clark looked around the room. If the room was meant to be some sort of bridge for a ship, then there must be some sort of control panel he could access for information. He looked at where he had placed his crystal. It was not completely inserted in. Trying his luck and instincts, Clark pushed the crystal further in, and instantly the room lit up.

'_Genesis computer…online,_' the ship's female voice started to say, '…_Uploading Brainiac System Version Five…standing by… All systems are operational._'

Clark watched in amazement at the computer at work—lights were turning on, charts rearranging to accommodate the planet. Then, Clark saw pixelated cubes dancing around him from every direction and settled into one spot a few metres away from him. They began to build up a construct form from the feet, legs, then lower body and torso, limbs and then, finally, a head.

It was a man looking at him, smiling at him with his hands tucked over one another, rested above his navel. Clark felt a little anxious as he stared at the man and the man did the same. He was tall, bearded with brown hair that was greying. Clark took a few steps back until his legs were touching the control panel.

'My son,' he then began and Clark was completely taken by surprise. 'You do not remember me, Kal, but I am your father.'

'What?' Clark chortled nervously.

The man remained smiling as he walked closer. 'My name is Jor-El, on my planet I am what Earth would identify as a Scientist. Your mother's name is Lara Lor-Van, captain of Krypton's Capitol city Law-Enforcement.'

He couldn't believe it…literally, what was…this was happening so fast… 'Are you…are you really here?'

The man lowered his head in a sad bow. Clark knew what that meant. 'I am but a remnant of him, a reflection of his consciousness, created to house his mind and heart.'

'And Kal?' he asked, smiling timidly at the ghost, 'That's my name?'

Jor-El smiled and nodded. 'Kal-_El_,' he added, 'a Kryptonian tradition.'

There it was again, that word—Kryptonian. He had so many questions. 'There is so much that I…so much that I don't know about myself. Where…where do I come from? Why'd you send me…' he gestured around him as if to make a point. 'Why'd you send me here?'

Jor-El offered his son a sympathetic look and gestured to the centre of the room, at the circular table. It started to glow a bright blue and a holographic image formed above it in the form of a sphere with etched lines around it. 'You came from Krypton. It is a planet far from the galactic system of Earth, with a much harsher atmosphere, a much harsher sun.'

Clark couldn't help it. He smiled and chuckled to himself. 'You mean an older sun?'

Again, Jor-El nodded to him. Clark began to think a while, trying to piece together what he'd learnt so far when it came to his own body. Thinking of what Lea had told him. But then another question came into his mind.

'Where are you now?' He then cringed a bit at his mistake and shrugged to correct himself, 'I mean, are you still alive? My father and mother I mean?' And again, Jor-El gave him a sad expression, lowering his head. Clark felt tears begin to escape him and he asked what had happened.

Suddenly, Jor became darker and he turned around, facing the Arctic field. 'Hubris,' he muttered then turned again to Clark. 'But we will get to that in due time. I know that there are questions to be asked and it is time for you to do so.' He looked around him, at the grand structure built by his people many years before him. 'Here in this…this fortress of…solitude, you can find the answers to many of them.' He gestured to the door, asking his son to accompany him.

As they walked through the hallway of the magnificent craft, they talked. It seemed strange to him, talking about things—personal things to someone, especially to someone who knew more than he did about those _personal_ things. This _ghost_ of his father spoke with calmness and seemed kind enough. They talked about Lara, about Clark's mother.

'She was beautiful, your mother,' he said. 'We met while she was tasked with protecting my research team. She was what the people of Earth call a Police Officer.' They passed one of the rooms that held beddings where the giant wolf was sleeping. They stopped at the pods chamber, Jor-El then took a step back and looked at him, and suddenly Clark saw sadness in his father's eyes. 'You look so much like her, Kal,' he whispered. 'Unlike common human genetics, on Krypton, the dominant gene is maternal. You have her eyes, and her hair, you also have her strength.

'Your strength is not due to physical exposure to a yellow sun perse,' Clark stopped and considered him for a moment. 'The sun merely provides the atmosphere that feeds something far more intrinsic. You are no stronger than what your physical make-up suggests.'

'But I can pick up trucks with my bare hands, punch holes into concrete walls and bullets bounce off me like ping-pong balls?'

'That is what makes you different, Kal. You possess what I have discovered to be Tactile-Telekinesis. A form of molecular-bending, but what you have is a limited form of it, focussed on your strength. This form is universally known as Psionic Strength.'

They walked toward a large chamber about the size of the Smallville High Basketball court. Inside there were different tables with holographic projections of spheres, Clark guessed right that they were planets.

The two beings walked in as Jor continued to talk. 'It is the ability to augment your natural strength through the sheer power of the mind.'

Clark did manage to get the sense of what he was saying. It explained why most times when he's lifting cars or trains that are both heavier and larger than him without it crumbling under its own weight.

There was a sphere that looked somewhat like Earth, only he could not make out some of the lands and countries depicted. 'Krypton is an old planet, it was there when the universe was first created and we Kryptonians developed much sooner than humans.' The pictures then transformed into one of a humanoid, a Kryptonian. 'Kryptonians value intellect. We ventured into many fields of science and philosophy. In fact, Kryptonians were one of the first space travellers.

'As such I suspect it is this attribute which has evolved far beyond the brain function of human minds—that has given you the cognitive capabilities behind your slight telepathic abilities.'

Clark was intrigued and little bit giddy. 'Will I be able to move things with my mind or does this relate to psionic strength?'

'Unfortunately, your biological template is not related to that level of telepathy,' Jor explained. 'By all accounts, all life forms exist with the basic purpose of survival imprinted in their DNA. Strength is a vital aspect for survival and as such, under the young and nourishing yellow sun, feeds the psionic enhancements that which your body and mind rely greatly in order to survive in such a drastically different environment with its own physical law. It strengthens your skin, your muscles, your ability to see, hear, feel.'

Clark could not argue that all of this, though quite surreal, was really filling out a lot of blanks. But his head was swimming with so many questions. He was ready—he was ready to learn everything.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

The next day Jor-El directed him to an extension of the archives. Thankfully the ship's system had many functions and capabilities; it was able to translate most of the texts to English. Still he found the Kryptonian language exciting, learning it from the various books. He found also some in languages that existed outside of Earth.

The archives were huge, and they opened up a whole new universe for the small town boy.

At school he was always odd, and not just because of his abilities, he found, but because of his immense curiosity in regards to the sciences. The young Clark would gaze up at the stars and talk about them for hours to Lana. He expressed a desire to explore them one day.

What he found in the archives at the fortress was no short of ground-breaking. There were so many planets, billions and billions of varying life, streaming from one side of the cosmos to the other. And as a fast fan of the majority of them, Clark soaked in the tales they had to offer.

After some time he took to wandering the magnificent superstructure, gazing at the tapestries and murals. There were words etched in Kryptonian in front of one of the thousands of rooms on that floor alone.

He was having difficulty translating. 'Good afternoon, Master El,' in came a homely looking robot with the Kryptonian number four.

'Good afternoon, Four,' Clark responded.

The robot looked at him but Clark didn't know what the machine was thinking. The neutral looking face resembled a human being; he looked like a roman statue with glowing blue eyes. 'Might I ask what the master is doing?'

'Yeah, sorry,' he tried to apologise. 'I was just wondering about these strange hieroglyphics. What do they say?'

'It is a warning, young sir,' said the robot, 'a cautionary suggestion.'

Intrigued, Clark asked what it said but the robot shrugged oddly. 'I'm merely interested. I see a lot of resemblances between the Kryptonian language system and some ancient languages here on Earth.' He began to steadily caress the plaque inquisitively. 'What secrets could this tell us?'

The robot nodded in understanding. 'I see your point, Master El.'

Clark tried not to cringe at the title. He'd made a point yesterday that referring to him as '_Master_' did not sit well with his conscience. 'Please, Four, just "_Clark_" would do,' the robot gave a silent nod but Clark suspect he would be hearing '_Master_' again soon. 'So tell me what it says.'

Four inspected the wall for a moment before reciting the text, '_Employees…must wash hands or suffer astral-bacterial infection._' He bowed to his host and clamoured away. Clark on the other hand, stood with his arms crossed, staring a little disappointedly at the plaque. Pouting his mouth he walked off into the ship's elevator to the bridge.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

Four months rolled in fast, passing him by so quickly while he explored the universe. Building up his knowledge and experience, but apart from that, it felt good to be able to talk about everything. He thought he'd be given everything, get every question answered for him just like that, but this, he and the interactive construct of his father, searching for the answers together, it felt right.

He stood in the middle of the active space. It took him months to master this, starting first by reading data canisters like books—but after weeks of conditioning his mind, he started an advanced educational program. He was on a platform while holographic information in every language scrolled around him. His eyes took in every word, though he realised he was much too slow to take things in efficiently.

_The seven hundred-thousand and counting, star-systems in the cosmos was broken down into sectors after the first Galactic Civil War which itself divided the universe into three constantly warring factions. The Antimatter Pact lead by the warlord Darkseid held the upper hand against the two other factions—The Maltusian Order, with their hatred of chaos created the first shared planetary law, and the technologically advanced Covenant of Genesis devoted their time and energy in the exploration of the sciences. _

_But in this fight, Chaos had the winning hand. Darkseid's forces utilised a vast array of power as it eventually became apparent that the entity of unknown origins was not conquering planet systems and ruling them, spreading his ideas as the others were. In fact, Darkseid was not leaving anything behind in his path. More than twelve thousand star-systems were destroyed or left uninhabitable when the warlord of Apokolips passed, causing the extinction of many and the near annihilation of all life itself._

_The theology of Apokolips was centred on chaos—around the concept that chaos dominated everything else, that order would eventually return to Chaos, that the basest of natural instinct no matter how violent will dominate the wise, the knowledgeable. Though nothing more than a concept, Darkseid was able to manipulate such into the vessel of his dominion. And in the six-millionth Kryptonian cycle, Darkseid discovered the anomaly known as __**Prime**__. His intent was to destabilise the universe completely. Drok-El of the Kryptonian Academy of Science determined that the destruction of Prime, the first cloud of which all of life originated from, would start a series of cataclysmic events that would topple everything._

_With these findings, Krypton sought help from the Prophets who in-turn directed them to the Guardians of Maltus. And thus was formed the Alliance under the collective leadership of the Guardians…_

Clark screamed out in pain, falling out of the data field and off the platform, clutching his head. His heart was beating uncontrollably. He needed more training, to get used to the sensation of information flowing into his head that way.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

Clark stood within a huge, empty, four sided chamber. He looked at himself, reflected and multiplied upon crystal mirrors that lined the walls. He flexed his muscles, cracking his neck a bit and readied himself.

The mirrors flashed and the reflections of him were replaced with silver versions and started to exit the mirrors.

'Today will be a test of physical strength and combat,' said his father. The silver Clarks advanced on him. 'Dispatch the Reflections, Kal, by any means necessary.'

The battle began immediately with the silver Clarks surrounding the original. Clark found that a few punches would shatter them like glass, but they sure did put up a fight.

They kept coming in, though, like a swarm of ants around some discarded meat and nearly overwhelming him entirely. The Silver Clarks were not unlike any other super-powered being he'd fought in the past. Their powers almost resembled his if not slightly reduced. One of them grabbed Clark from the back, holding him in an arm-lock and bended knee.

That was when Clark's eyes lit up and blazing streams of violent red fire shot out at his silver-selves, shattering seven of them and clearing himself. He continued to fire for a few more minutes before stopping the streams. He groaned in pain at the stinging left behind by the lasers. Sadly, his pause, was his undoing, even a mere second was an open window for the Silver horde to overpower him. He was relocked within another's arm.

He roared out in pain as they began to pile up on him. One after another they boomed in, until his vision was completely nulled.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

'Krypton once inhabited the space sector 2813 of the known and monitored universe, over 27.1 lightyears from Earth,' Jor-El started explaining. He was casually striding through the lively corridors. Once it was so empty, the aura of death still hung from time to time, though now, blue lights illuminated the halls, the clanking of robotic feet echoing throughout. This was how the Kryptonian Scout Ship was meant to be, well almost.

More than sixty thousand years ago, this ship was full of people—Kryptonians, scientists and ship crew members. Jor-El sighed. As Jor-El's consciousness, he experienced all of the emotions that came with him—his happiness, his excitement, even his pain and sadness. Close to the end of his life, he felt an immense array of intense feelings. At first it was anger…rage, then focus, then sadness. As the consciousness looked on at Jor's son, he felt that sadness return.

'Why didn't you come with me?' he asked him, wondering if this consciousness would know the things that ran through his actual father's head on his final day. 'Why didn't you and mother escape as well?'

'We were known as the most advanced civilization in the universe, Kal,' the two forms moved along the tunnel, passing by the armoury. 'But we were shrewd. We became arrogant. After war broke out between various empires and space sectors, instead of finding ways to help put a stop to the chaos, Krypton chose to completely cut itself off from the rest of the cosmos.' Jor-El released a sad breath. 'Rao knows we wanted to, son. I tried to save our entire race. All we needed to do was simply to allow us to, I might have been able to construct more transport vessels,' he explained. 'Interstellar travel was outlawed by the council, believing we were far too superior as opposed to the rest of the cosmos. We believed we were beyond petty conflicts and that exploring the universe would corrupt us. It was blasphemy, but also a mode of thinking that I believe had understandable grounds.

'The Space academies were destroyed, research was discontinued and those freethinkers, curious about discovery, were persecuted. Soon the stars were sin.'

Clark nodded and allowed him to continue.

'Ironically we became too engrossed with petty conflict to notice the signs.' Just ahead was a door Clark did not seem to recognise. 'Reduced to flames and ashes…that is not what I want for you, my son. We had discovered a way to replenish our resources and stop the conflict on that front by harvesting energy from the planet's core. It worked and for some time we had peace. We were so content we did not see our red sun reaching its final stage before supernova.

'To add to the destruction—the dying sun was giving out energy, too much for the planet to properly process into resources as we were no longer using that energy.'

They made their way back to the archives. Jor led him to a section closer to the entrance. A desk was switched on to reveal a holographic depiction of a man in strong metallic military armour, Kryptonian by the design. He had a dark beard and piercing, almost maniacal glare.

'When e and my research team discovered this fact, we tried to pitch this threat to the ruling council, but at that time, this man, Zod, had ignited insurrection. Though his motivations were commendable, he deterred attention away from the planet's impending doom. After all, I was not a much respected scientist at the time.'

'What did you do?'

Jor-El's thoughts were clogged in his throat. He sighed. 'I spoke my mind…I spoke out of turn.' Though he seemed a little ashamed, he saw a slight glint in his son's eyes, maybe pride. 'There is a base instinct imbedded in every living thing with a consciousness and a will. Fear has its moments, but we are taught to fight it. But while the Council feared what I had to say about their laws, your mother did not.' He took a break, waiting for Kal to digest. 'But people fear anything that impends on their chances of survival, like the prospect of uncertainty.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

Again, Clark was surrounded within the Practice Room. His hostile selves were merciless and single-minded. He shattered more than half of them and when they overcrowded, Clark saw fit to use his heat vision again, but was met with the same outcome. He recoiled in pain for a microsecond and was thrown across the room, shattering a crystal projector.

Enraged, Clark threw down his knuckled onto the ground where he knelt in exhaustion, 'Why can't I beat this?!'

Jor-El then appeared before him, offering him a supportive smile. 'You were holding back,' he said simply. Soft breathing was also heard as the wolf came from behind him, wagging his tale full if hair as he passed.

'No I just…' Clark protested.

'You've been holding back ever since you first discovered you had abilities, ever since they started manifesting,' the Kryptonian construct offered. Every time you use your powers you hold back, never revelling in them.'

The young man could only shrug at his father, feeling as though he was sent to the naughty corner or something. 'Well yeah…I mean it hurts when I use it—'

Jor-El disagreed. 'No you are afraid, my son,' he said. 'I can see it on your face. Your fear is what blocks your path. When you projected the radiation you pause in momentary respite because you were uncertain about its nature, about _your_ nature.'

Seeing no way around this, Clark resigned and nodded. 'I…When I first found out I was incredibly strong, I dislocated a boy's shoulder that was bullying one of my friends,' he began. 'I was so afraid. When I first rode my bike and nearly set all of my father's crops ablaze, I was afraid. For all of my life I was afraid of what people would say about me, that they'd reject me.'

'Thus you tried to blend in more?'

Clark nodded.

'Kal,' Jor strode to Clark. He kept a hand on his shoulder, trying to ignore the fact that his fingers were already overlapping his molecular structure. Jor-El was after all, nothing but data. 'In this estrangement, you have subconsciously installed mental barriers which would drown out your powers.'

The young man from Smallville was one step away from shocked. 'I…I didn't mean to—I just…'

Jor-El saw the bashfulness in his son's eyes and chuckled, 'It is alright, my son. Your mother actually foresaw this, that your heritage might make you feel estranged from those around you…might make you feel too different.'

'I'm sorry, father,' Clark couldn't meet Jor-El in the eyes. Despite his many abilities, despite his invulnerability, there was always something that held him down. There was always some nagging of inadequacy in the pit of his stomach. Something that took hold his fear most was failure.

His father nodded. 'It is okay, son. Everything that has ever happened to you has been a defence mechanism. It is only natural. You will progressively learn to control them, to channel them, as you have learned to conceal them.'

'You believe that that is the problem with me?' Clark asked him cautiously. 'Because I've done the best I could so far. I've tried for so long to use my abilities for good.'

Jor-El understood him, morbidly recollecting his own…well,_ Jor-El's_ own isolation. 'Walk with me, Kal.'

There was a large chamber at the very centre of the pyramid. It was reserved for special ceremonies and knightings. At the very end was a large wall engraving that Clark recognised. The _S_ shield he once wore brazenly on his chest.

Clark followed his father down the room, up some steps and onto a stone stage. Standing before the symbol, Jor-El raised his hand and the wall opened up to reveal an entire suit, form-fitting, darkish blue suit from head to toe with a red belt that separated the top from the bottom as well as red boots.

Emblazed on the chest was to his bewilderment the same symbol—stylised red S in a diamond shield with a golden background. 'What is it?' he inquired curiously.

'This is a Kryptonian battle armour set,' Jor-El announced. 'It reacts to a person's genetic make-up, to your DNA. This is your birthright, Kal-El.'

Clark bobbed his head. It sent fireworks in his heart to hear those words from him. He would have wanted nothing more. He stood closer, feeling the emblem with the tip of his fingers and asked what it stood for. 'I mean, on Earth, it's the letter _S_.'

Jor-El lightly chuckled. 'I can see the resemblance it has to some of Earth's symbology and alphabet system,' he then opened the top part of his robe to reveal his own S shield. 'This is our symbol, Kal. The emblem of the House of El. On Krypton, families, houses, have their symbols to represent them, much like your medieval history has done on Earth.' He looked back at the suit and Clark could see clearly, the sadness return to his eyes. It only lasted a few seconds before he snapped out of it. 'There is also another meaning to this symbol, Kal. When our civilization formed and grew and our people were short of inspiration, for all of our advanced minds, we were still slaves to our violent instincts. But beyond that, this symbol shone as something more.'

'Like what?'

Jor's mouth formed a smile as he answered, 'It stood for "_hope_", my son.'

Next, Jor took his son to another extension of the archives a floor below it. He showed him an ancient depiction of a man from Krypton's early histories. Jor-El explained that this man was an unknown son of their namesake, the first El.

'His name is unknown but during Krypton's first world war that would determine to which faction of the interstellar war we would fight for, he was given the name Kon-El. In that time it was an insult because he was different.'

Curiously, Clark asked him how this man was.

'Unlike those of the time, where Krypton was more interested in instruments of war, Kon who was rumoured to have been a hybrid of Kryptonian and another race known as Andromedan when El fell in love with a princess of their home world.' He told of how these two worlds were at war, of how that word, "_Kon_" meant abomination.

He also told of despite this, when civil war broke out and while the Houses fought each other to see which was right, those without, were treaded upon, Kon stepped up to lead these House-less citizens and unite Krypton with one simple word—'Hope.'

'Conscious beings often struggle with the concept of right and wrong,' Jor-El began dictating to Clark, standing in the centre of the archives with images passing around him. 'Your own concepts of good and evil may not even be morality at its correct form.'

'Then how do we fight evil when we don't even know what that means?'

That was when the images exploded into various depictions, videos that covered the whole archives, of worlds vast and populated. He saw the thousands of different races, different planets, he saw them going about their lives in relative happiness and peace. 'Then perhaps, my son, it is not good and evil that is in contrast, that are at odds, but rather life and anti-life.'

Clark looked at him scrupulously, 'You mean _Death_?' He wondered if he misheard him or perhaps it was a Kryptonian thing.

'No,' he shrugged, 'Life and _Death_ like Order and Chaos are not necessarily opposites.' Several images flashed, religious and thought-provoking in nature. The Christian Cross, David's Star, Arabic word for Allah, Hindu Swastika, he saw the statue of Themis also known as _Lady Justice_, standing with her scale and sword. 'There is an ancient legend on Krypton about two entities—The Flame-bird and The Night-wing. Have you heard of it?'

He nodded, recalling the tale he'd heard of when first the crystal spoke to him after his father's funeral. 'I've heard it once. I remember telling that story to ma whenever she had trouble sleeping or felt depressed. It's the story of two of Krypton's gods?'

Again, Clark saw his Kryptonian father smile at him. He nodded approvingly at him and continued. 'Whether they were deities or angels as The Book of Rao describes, is object to debate, but the story goes that these two entities where in contrast to each other. It was The Night-wing's nature to rebuild everything that The Flame-bird destroyed including itself.'

Clark nodded attentively. 'It's a great story. A great dragon of fire, being charged by…Rao?...to destroy everything, fell in love with The Night-wing, who was then to rebuild everything else again, just so they could spend one fleeting moment together before they too are destroyed. A little melancholy if you ask me.'

To this however, Jor shook his head. That was not exactly the main point of the story but merely the skin. 'The legend is about the nature of the universe, the nature of reality,' he elucidated wisely. 'They were polar opposites, Kal, yet the Flame-bird could not exist without the Night-wing rebuilding the world as he could not exist without the purpose she provided. Those we see as opposites often rely on the other to exist. What is life without the concept of death to put into perspective its value? And what is death without the purpose heralded by living?'

As he spoke, a question crept into Clark's thoughts. He made a point to ask his father now while he remembered, after all, it had never really occurred to him before. 'Will I die?'

'Given time, as it passes bye,' he said simply. 'But the real questions are how and why?'

The young man shrugged, not really knowing how to answer. 'I thought it was to be…I don't know…a hero? Some sort of avenger, fighting the corrupt in the name of those without voices?' But Jor-El gazed at him expecting him to continue. Clark was still unsure of what to say. He'd never really questioned why so much as how. He knew already that most men in power became corrupt at the expense of those of "Lower Standards". In Metropolis, the man that reined on top of that list was Lex Luthor.

Clark had made it his job to investigate, to bring him into account his crimes by any means necessary. In fact it was Luthor who practically created the Suicide Slums when he forced the mayor to divert many of the city's funds from citizen healthcare and education to support what Clark found out to be a secret project called Cadmus. After that project sank, it was then used for a government project designated _Collector_.

Those people in Midtown Metropolis and Suicide Slums were who he was fighting for. Weren't they?

He was doing a good job. He recalled apprehending Hornigold and Glen Glenmorgan. They were released after a while but he had thought that society would see his angle and see the corruption that the two had sowed. But instead, he was ostracized by them—the people he was trying to help.

People feared him, they hated him, and thus Clark felt that he had failed them.

'What do you fight for, son?' Jor-El asked him again.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**KENT FARM, SMALLVILLE**_

He'd never realised just how damp his room was, even with his windows open, the morning sun on its course for noon, it seemed stuffy and quite messy as well. His books were in a chaotic pile on his table, blinding with old comics. His clothes were tussled on his bed and on the wooden floor, highlighted by sunlight.

Usually he wouldn't mind, he has been living in it for near fifteen years, but today…it bugged the crap out of him as he sits there on his bed.

He hears footsteps and follows them absentmindedly as they get louder, culminating in a few taps on his door. He remains silent because he knows his mother…silence is a big red flag.

'Hey,' Martha peers through and the sight of his son, seated with his devastation. 'Sweetie, are you alright?'

Still, Clark doesn't speak and simply continues to stare down at his feet.

Martha awkwardly nods but begins to press on. 'I've made you an omelette with toast for breakfast. Are you hungry, Clark?'

Clark slowly shook his head.

It was far from an acceptable response in Martha's opinion…but she understood his pain, she felt it too. It wasn't just heartache, it was every sort of pain—one hurt causing the other until it was felt all over. Seeing his beloved son like this only added the wound to her heart. She knew better than to leave it, something, a motherly instinct. But she also knew Clark. He dealt with things differently.

She told him she understood, closed the door and walked downstairs. She paused when she heard a rustling coming from his room—the sound of a sudden grumble followed by various objects falling off a table in a mad shower.

To any mother, that was a sound most dreaded coming from their child. So she ran back upstairs, but carefully opened it for herself. 'Clark?'

His boy, his little Clark, though not a spot of him resembled either Jonathan or her, she had always felt a bond with him that tied the family together. He made it whole, but now, strangely she felt that foundation crumble all at once.

She was about to exit again when he spoke, softly, almost a whisper that was carried in the wind. 'I'm sorry, Ma,' he said. She turned to him and suddenly drowned in his eyes—unnaturally blue eyes, veiled by a windscreen of water. 'Ma, I'm sorry.'

'Clark—'

'I couldn't save him, Ma,' and then he broke, broke down into uncontrolled sobs. Martha rushed to her son's side, engulfing him in her arms. 'I'm so, sorry, Ma!' he kept on saying into her hug.

She kept his head tucked beneath her chin, caressing his dark hair warmly as she tried to calm and comfort him. 'It's alright, Clark,' she told him. 'Come here, sweetie. It's okay.' As she continued to sooth his conscience—telling him that it was not his fault, that no one was really to blame, he just kept on apologising. Oh how she wished she could make him stop, that her words would ease his heavy heart.

The next morning, despite his mother's suggestion to stay home, Clark still attended school as per usual. He did however promise her that he would only stay until 1pm and be back as quickly as he could.

He was used to people whispering about him behind his back. He could always hear them but obviously it was far easier not to have told them that he could. Usually they would mutter how he was a loner, he had no friends, that he was a freak or a nerd or if he dobbed on someone trying to copy the exam answers he heard the word '_asshole_' or '_fuck-face_'.

Now he heard them. They were tip-toeing around him, as if there were land mines around him. At the courtyard, Clark made his way to his next class though his books were still in his locker—his first stop. He catches the eye of Brad Fordham with his group. He felt his eyes following him but his friends were too preoccupied pushing around the new guy.

A small fourteen year-old that skipped a grade with big old glasses. They took his specks and began chucking it around while watching him scuttle after it, laughing at him. Clark walked up to them and they suddenly stopped, though he could not get their grinning to stop.

'You guys have anything better to do than to play devil's advocate?' Clark shot daringly.

'Says the freakozoid-teacher's pet,' Greg Park shot back. 'You're and asshole did you know that?' obviously he was referring to the Park's suspension from school after he was caught cheating an exam, in which cost him a position on the Smallville High football team, in turn had cost Smallville an entire season.

Greg and his friends had all rose up to meet their enemy. They rose taller than him, surrounding him in less than friendly circles. He notices that everyone in the yard had started to come closer to watch something unfold, bored with their routine school life. He also noticed someone not in the crowd of people. Brad was still seated, not doing much of anything really, except staring at him.

Clark shuffled nervously as the oncoming audience arrived, starting to cheer them on. He was not in the mood. Luckily he saw the new kid had gotten his glasses back and ran off away from attention. Thus Clark merely looked at Greg, Ben Whitley, James Sulkin, Corey Teller, Luke Lerman and Josh Cross, as they circled around him. 'Come on, Kent,' Greg taunted. 'I think I owe you a disfigured face on behalf of the school.'

He looked about the yard, then to his hostiles, to the spectators, and his fists, balled, red, but he shook his head and pushed his way through the crowd with Greg and his friends guffawing at him. No one else did.

No one else said a thing.

He realises water slowly running down his cheek. He ran to his locker and frantically tried to open it, although he was failing drastically, his hands were shaking.

'Yo, Kent,' Brad called for him as he approached.

Clark shook his head, finally opening his locker but trying to quickly avoid another confrontation. 'Please, Brad, not now.'

He did not seem to have understood the tone in his voice. He tried to pull Clark's attention by the shoulder, 'No, Kent, just listen I—'

CRASHHH! Brad felt like air was just stripped from his lungs as he found himself being held by the shirt by strong, reddening hands, staring down at two terrifyingly red orbs. 'You think that you could just push people around, Fordham…push _me_ around?' Clark held him about five inches off the ground, his own locker was smashed. 'You know what that kid goes through every day, because _I_ do!' His face, his tone of voice displayed a rage that didn't just scare Brad…it rocked his core, his soul. 'He doesn't need you or your cronies to fuck up his life!'

'Kent, look I get it,' he pleaded, his voice caught in his throat. 'Okay, I get it. Your dad died, I get it…I know how it feels, Kent…and I'm sorry.'

Clark was still, he kept stern eyes on Brad.

'Clark!' Lana's voice called to him, snapping him back away from pure instinct. Though he still looked angry, his eyes were no longer red. He saw the hallway looking at him, staring in shock. He was always known for being the calmest person in Smallville—they've never seen him throw a punch, never heard him raise his voice, never seen him lose it. To see him doing all those things…was frightening. Lana walked up to the young man, hurt and angry, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, 'Clark, please, let him go!'

He took one last look at him, at Brad then released him as he was asked.

**-=O=-**

'So how is he?' Clark asked.

Lana sighed and shuffled closer to her old friend. They sat as they once did atop his barn as the orange sun makes way for night. 'He's fine,' she responded. 'I got him to see the nurse and they said you didn't break anything but the locker so he'll be fine.'

'I'm sorry.' Clark saw him a whole lot differently now. digging a little bit he found that Brad's dad, a football star in his own right, had pushed him a little too hard to achieve athletic greatness. He was also an alcoholic and an abusive husband, which was why after their divorce, Brad and his mother moved to Smallville. He could not pretend not to know why Brad felt the need to talk to him about his dad. He saw it coming, how he looked at him at the yard. It was far from developing a friendship, further from a mutual respect…more like an understanding.

For some reason Lana couldn't help but chuckle, 'That seems to be a catch phrase with you, you know. Right next to "_You're welcome_".'

The two shared another brief moment of light hearted levity, something he sorely missed. They remained silent for a moment, basking in the last hour of sun.

Then the mood changed as Lana brought up one other topic she was anxious about. 'So how are you holding up?'

'What do you think, Lana,' he said. 'All those things I can do…all these powers,' he bore his hands, looking at their emptiness. They looked so normal, like everyone else's. 'I couldn't even save him.'

'You're being hard on yourself, bro,' Pete had come up to join them. 'There was nothing you could have done, you know that.'

Kent shook his head at him. That was the problem. There was something he could have done to save them all, he just knew it. He was not strong enough. Once Pete sat down beside him they shook hands,

'Sorry we couldn't make it to his funeral.'

Clark assured him that it was okay, but they all knew how he felt deep down. These powers…his mother and father told him they were a gift, but they isolated him, made him scared of himself. What he was…was a burden.

'Thanks,' he said suddenly to his friends. 'Thanks for being here for me, eventually.'

Pete lightly laughed and he and Lana both hugged their mutual friend, 'Always here for ya, bro.'

'Ever thought about what you'll do after high school?'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

'I was always afraid of my powers. I feel like I'm living in a world of cardboard,' he recited to his father his pain and sorrow. Though not always a constant, it was a strong feeling at times. 'I was always afraid of breaking something, or someone. When I started looking for control, it was to remedy this, to stop me from feeling more like a monster, but also to hear more of their stories as well. To understand why they see me as a monster, then maybe they might not see me as such.'

There was a section of the fortress that was open to the outside and opened up to a cavern in ice with a waterfall of crystal clear water. He sees on an opposite ledge over the chasm of water, a polar bear walking by looking at the curious Kryptonians.

Soon the Kryptonian wolf hovered by and they two magnificent beasts began to commune.

'Your fear is not your fault, Kal,' his father began. 'Neither is it theirs. Because your fear is not something to be ashamed of, and once you know that, once you have accepted that fact, it will cease to control you.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

In the Practice Room, he had been facing off with forty simulation bots at a time. Clark had been training in his combat all day, so why was it that he kept finding himself kneeling down on one knee trying to catch his breath with blood from his nose. Everything he got from getting beat up pretty quickly.

_The yellow sun of Earth fuels your psionic strength giving you strength beyond anything imagined on both our worlds._

As the weeks came by, Clark found himself greatly improve. In the Practice Room, he'd been fighting the Reflections all morning, testing his limits. With punches that created sonic booms and kicks that left craters on the metal floor, he dispatched the training dummies but found that they were fast outnumbering him again.

_Your powers and abilities, my son, like many if not all aspects of life stem from the power of will. Your will to act, your faith in yourself…Confidence in what you can do…_

Like before—his eyes began to glow and he shot out his intense heat beams, able to burn through all of them, the forms shattered into piles on the floor which were then reclaimed by the wall. He'd been practicing every day now, to release his heat vision without the handicap he implanted in himself.

After so many days of practice—Clark stood in the centre of the room as Reflections came at him from every direction, All Clark could do was burst them into flames with his eyes, short beams, but efficient.

…_These are the keys to control. Belief in the possibility of anything through the scope of reality…_

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**A month later…**_

The first thing that tickles his skin is the cool breeze. Strange how a few months in the fortress had made his senses more sensitive. He was far from master of them, but at least now, his control was far more defined.

He walked onto the snow. His army boots crunched his path for a mile before he paused. Sleaves of his white shirt pulled up he laid his knuckles onto the ground and closed his eyes. He was in deep, deep thought.

…_Because your powers are based on the psionic link between your physical reality and the will power of thought, everything relies on the mind. In your exile, you mastered the suppression of your powers…now we will have you embrace them… _

With a mighty thrust, Clark pushed himself off the ground. Rising into the skies…then falling down again, creating a large crater around him. But he pushed off again, shooting up, but yet again, he falls, this time, straight into a small mountain, causing it to explode.

_As for the purpose of why you fight, I want to ask you a question, Kal. The legend of Flame-Bird and Night-Wing were seen by the ancients as representatives of the nature of reality. Chaos and Order, Life and Death, Fire and Water—the question is…which represents which?_

_They are not polar opposites…they are the source of the other…_

Clark climbed out of the freshly made pit, his shirt now completely ripped. He sighed and opted to just dispel the shirt altogether. Now, standing in the chill with but his combat pants and surprisingly still his boots, he looked to the skies once again. He could feel it calling to him.

**Then that is why I have to fight? To show them which one to defeat? I don't believe I can, father. I've tried, for so long…I've tried and failed miserably.**

_You cannot assist them in every aspect of their lives, every conflict, and every struggle. To try and save humanity from nature, or as you have tried, to supress their own nature…you shouldn't. They will never learn if you do. You will give them an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble…they will fall. But in time…they will join you in the sun, Kal…_

Clark readied himself, a new fire stirring in his heart. He could do this. He had to rise up…take their hands, show them the universe. Then with another push, a great push, Clark was lifted off the ground in a rush, up into the skies, he was not going to fall, not this time. His hands were in front of him, pushing him forward.

The sensation of the wind, holding him up and pushing him across the ocean of clouds, he will never forget this. He was flying again, this time, without the training wheels, he could lift off as many times as he wished for his abilities, his nature was now in his control.

Over oceans of ice and snow, green fields filled with animals and mountains that split the Earth, Clark was offered such tremendously breathtaking views. He pushed himself further, now breaking the sound barrier travelling at more than 800 mph.

He crossed the snowy plains of the North then to the yellow fields across the African savanna, a smile played upon his face like an excited seven year-old. He could go faster now, no longer need to already be in motion in order to fly.

Next he tried stopping, pulling his body back he feels the slight pressure of his sudden stop. He looked up to the sky, the great yellow orb hovering ominously above like a sentinel.

_In time you will help them accomplish wonders…_

Then he hears it, the screams for help, rushing in like shrieks in his head and flooding his heart. From life threatening cries to trivial complaints.

He hears one in particular—the cries of a little girl in the streets of Israel, her brothers are too busy fighting with the soldiers to notice their sister had broken her ankle, probably why they were fighting to begin with, but what they did not realise was a tank only a few metres away from her. She is too small thus would not be able to grab the tank's attention quick enough.

Clark gathered up all of his strength and in a blink of an eye…_**VHOOSH!**_ He vanished.

**-O-**

**Author's Note: Apologies if this chapter seems a little all over the place. I had a bit of writer's block for a few weeks before suddenly ideas were pouring in all at once, too much for my mind to completely comprehend. I do hope that you guys are still on board here.**

**All in all though, I did find this chapter a blast to write. I tried to address some things here and there that's been bugging me this week. **

**I picked up the latest Superman/Wonder Woman comic and am now apprehensive about them. I'm worried. Actually like them together but their relationship is being threatened here. What I really want to see actually, is for them to actually have a kid, maybe a daughter introduced into the canon universe. The Dark Knight Returns' universe offspring of them was interesting but it's an elseworld situation. I want to see their children in a canon storyline.**

**What do you guys think? **

**-O-**

**I want to also thank **_**Heart of the Demon**_** for your continued support of this fic. Some of the readers have stopped and it helps to know none of this is going to waste or is just gibberish nonsense. Molto grazie, mio amico. **


	22. For Tomorrow

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**FOR TOMORROW**

_I look out onto my city, high in the sanctity of my tower. I see them, my people, struggling in their walks. I see them, drenched in the faeces of mediocracy that defines their life worth. They do not yet understand our purpose. They do not comprehend the necessities the elite prioritise in order for peace and structure and security to prevail…it sickens me._

_I have been seen by many as a harsh man, as a narcissistic, wealthy businessman, as a Machiavellian…the last one I have no problem with…in fact I consider it…Him, a compliment. In a world of deadly politics, Niccolò Machiavelli did what he could to survive—the essence of fear that drives us as a species…and he did it marvellously._

_Me? I did what I had to survive in a world that feared progress. What my father did, what his father and his father did with the business…it was a disgraceful waste of opportunity and resource._

_Now…with the Brainiac…it is perfected._

_It is there…our city of tomorrow. There within my grasp…within OUR grasp. We need all but take it._

_It was almost ruined, my empire, my plans. All that I had ever sacrificed, laid to waste by the ego of a creature from another planet. What have we as the dominant species on this planet become, to glorify and depend upon the stars? Something reserved for religious fanatics that toppled Constantinople or Rome before it._

_We were almost finished._

_But this is MY city of tomorrow…_

_I will defend it! _

_**LOCATION:**_

_**Metropolis**_

'Mr Luthor, the Israeli delegation have arrived, sir.' Lex Luthor nodded to Mercy and pushed up from his cushioned throne. The room was so eerily dark but not quiet as the grumbling of thunder and rain vibrated through the window.

'Make them a cup of Rose water tea please, Ms Graves.'

She inclined and strutted off with that level of outright confidence had been instilled upon her at a young age when she was at the orphanage. Strange to find he saw her more as his successor than his own daughter.

As for the delegates waiting for him in boardroom 31-04—seventeenth in his long list of patrons that were entering into negotiations for Guardianship. He smiled to himself often now, in secret. His vision was moments away now. At that moment though, he was still in conversation with Michael Earls, Acting Chairman of the Wayne Enterprises Board with designs

Metropolis has always been seen as the new centre for science and technological innovations, doting on the likes of S.T.A.R. Labs at East-Point and even a big supporter of Wayne Enterprise's monorail system that united the city. All projects brought to fruition once he took Luthor Corp. The name change was only to differentiate his legacy.

He was tired, tired of the legacy that his father built—structured on only finance and political support. They patented things already thought of, outsourcing overseas and only known for having the most money in the Western Hemisphere. After relieving his company of thirty years of debt, he was finally able to take possession and form the dream that his mother once had for this city.

Down the hall to the boardrooms was decorated with unused Guardian prototypes he had in the works, labelled and annotated his ideas for a more faster, safer and reliable security system.

This way he would not always have to answer questions about his work…at least not all the time.

He was quite proud of his technology. Perhaps he should be proud of his daughter for her unwilling assistance. Sadly the only pride he felt came from the fact that she had been utilising such useful skills to evade his suspicions.

Like the entire LexCorp complex, his boardroom was not spared the spectacle of Mr Luthor's love of his hologram technology. There were mosaics and renaissance art hanging on every inch of wall in holographic form. When he walked in, his guests had already made themselves at home. One had gone to a minibar he had recently installed while another was appreciating the art quite critically.

A larger man in a black suit with a blue tie was seated at the end of the oval table, taking short and dignified sips of his tea. 'Tell your assistant that she makes excellent tea, Mr Luthor. Very spot on with the herbs,' he chuckled and sipped some more. 'Reminds me of the way my Ammah makes them.'

'That is good to know,' Lex took a seat adjacent and poured himself a cup. 'I'm sure Ms Graves would appreciate the feedback.'

'Rex Dreyfus,' he injected with an offered hand, 'Israeli Representative of Foreign Affairs.'

Luthor accepted his olive branch with a level head. 'I am looking forward to hearing your proposal and am grateful for your patronage already, Ambassador Dreyfus. With you here, now, negotiations can continue.'

'Let us get something straight, Luthor, in the interest of full disclosure,' he cut him off. 'I don't like your family, never have. In fact I don't much like your country which is surely lacking in its academic and progressive place within the world. Your father, if it is not too rude to point out, was a testimony to the country's failings.'

Unaffected by the berate of insults, Luthor offered a quick smile. 'I believe I like you already, Ambassador.'

Strangely they shared a sudden bout of laughter. So their audience went under way with plans to increase defence on the West Bank with eighty Guardians. Luthor then pointed out that eighty was not a necessary requirement.

'I've reengineered the processing systems and soon an upgrade in threat detection.'

The Israelis were intrigued, even more so when a hologram projector in the middle of the table turned on to reveal the new Guardian designs and what looks like a giant robotic eye ball. 'Very interesting, Mr Luthor,' the ambassador grinned. 'And this new system, what does it do?'

Luthor got the sense that everything he had said had passed over everybody's head completely. 'Let's just say that with this new system feeding your Guardians, you will never have another Munich. You don't even need to be at the helm for them to see.'

'What's the matter, you doubt my people's efficiency?' The Ambassador seemed rather offended, as Luthor could take from his facial expression.

'By nature the human function is limited to one physical task at a time. Hence what created this idea of teamwork or _two head are better than one_. But with that I have seen the difficulties of managing so many minds, so many personalities and so many weaknesses.' Luthor walked to the window, opening the blinds so they could see the city again. 'Constant vigilance is the price of safety, a human price but soon we will eliminate that. With this protocol, nothing will get past the droids.

'How many agents have your agency lost in the defence of one area alone?' It was a rhetorical question in disguise, but by the sad look on their faces he could guess their answer. 'And that wall you erected, that very illegal wall that the United Nations want you to dismantle…must cost a fortune to assemble and to take down.'

Ambassador Dreyfus was about to refute this but stopped in feign contemplation but ultimately frowned at him. He looked to the man to his right who had been looking at the paintings. 'I admit these robots are impressive, Mr Luthor—but…' He then pointed to that man to his right. 'This is Dr Yousef a well renown biologist who has come to me with these papers.' He slapped a small folder onto the table and instantly the system on the glass surface began to read the contents of the papers.

Lex tapped an icon displayed on his side and all of a sudden the screen exploded into detailed analysis of various people, all of whom he'd memories off by heart.

The first phase of Project Cadmus…he would ask how they got it but considering them closely, Lex was not prepared. 'What do you want?'

They all smiled and the Ambassador gave a silent gesture to the door and one of his men called in another character. All of a sudden it was getting much too crowded for Lex.

A man appeared at the door, short, pale skin reminded him of a skeleton with silver streaks in his brown and unruly hair. He was wearing an ensemble of clothing that for some reason kind of offended the old Luthor—tweed shirt and a green cardigan. The thing is, Luthor knew exactly who this person was.

'Professor Anthony Ivo,' Ambassador Dreyfus announced with a gin, 'was a part of your Collector Project under Dr Laurance Lerman…sadly though, his boss mysteriously disappeared, but fortunately, the interns were quite helpful with the details. This one is…the only one with real value however.'

Masking his rising annoyance, Luthor asked the boy to walk forwards. 'So, tell me, what's all this fuss about?'

The boy seemed a little bit shy, reserved. He was young, inexperienced, but Luthor suspected that had shifted quickly. Alas he could not ask, the boy was just silent.

'You see, he has this robot that functions like yours.' And then Ivo handed the ambassador a disk. Luthor simply told them to place it on the table to which the disk was read and a hologram projection of his guardians appeared in the middle. 'Ivo was able to duplicate your designs and mechanisms as well as improve on the design's systemic limitations, all just by studying their performances.'

Again, Luthor needed to keep what little restraint he had, 'Limitations?' He crossed his arms.

The ambassador raised his hands in retreat. 'I meant no offense, Mr Luthor, but you have to admit that nothing is perfect.' He then got up and undimmed the windows to gaze out onto the city. 'Not even Metropolis.'

'Like I said, Mr Dreyfus. What do you want?'

'I want you to use Ivo,' he answered. 'Use him and his advancements. Make your robots better, give them the new software I saw on display outside. Have them target these…Metahumans. Do that and all of our problems will be solved,' He gestured to the other images from earlier.

Now he was intrigued. 'And why would you want to harm metahumans?'

One of his agents was the one to answer, a big bulky guy with a scar across his face that Luthor could not believe had escaped his notice before, he was probably Mossad by his firm and unwavering stance. 'That is a classified informations, 'he spoke with a very strong accent.

'Political rivalry maybe?'

Dreyfus clenched his fists behind his back but definitely in Luthor's view. 'Think of it as insurance.'

Lex looked at Ivo, a boy that was able to mimic and improve his technology by simply looking at them? Luthor was not an easy man to impress, and to be honest, this boy was no exception, but he also knew potential.

That was when his phone buzzed. He looked at it for a fraction of a microsecond. It was Mercy, she had some urgent and troubling news. Salvatore Maroni was on his way to meet him.

'Fine…' he responded, hastily. 'I'll get him to start on your robots first…then I'll bring the software in after testing.'

Israeli Ambassador Dreyfus smirked, 'That is good news, Mr Luthor.'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

'Could you walk any slower, Olsen?' Lois goaded her friend, clearly not a morning person even with that rather expensive mocha in his hand.

Jimmy groaned. 'What's the rush, Lois, I don't even have to go to work like you do,' he asked, struggling with the choice to either follow with her every command…or turn around and run right back to his strangely empty and depressing apartment… 'Yo, wait up, Ms Lane!'

Metropolis was as alive in the morning as ever. Bustling with lives too busy to appreciate the city's many marvels. Tall skyscrapers that reached like trees touching the heavens, the roads wide enough to let flow the river of two thousand pedestrians at a time. Trains—both below ground, above and into the skies, uniting the city's inhabitance with cheap public transport.

Often looking around her as she walked to work, Lois could see clean streets, open shops and malls, huge businesses and banks, schools and firms and they weren't even at the Financial District yet. People were buzzing to get to work in time, some failing at it drastically. She sees the faces of teenagers playing in the parks, walking their dogs. The silent battles of chess players—so there are brilliant minds here too, she thought.

Lois sighed as a large grin formed on her young face. _This_ is my city of tomorrow. The sun, its rays illuminating her horizons, giving everyone around her an almost halo like ring emanating about them. Each person she passed smiled to her as she walked. They weren't always the kindest or the happiest bunch, but she always knew however fake, she would get a smile back when she did.

She also noticed that there was a lot of glass around with light that formed pictures on the surface. Everything was so much more civilized and technologically advanced, it was something she was particularly proud of when she thought about Metropolis.

They passed some buses and Jimmy was about to hop into one, when Lois digressed, she was dragged on by the smaller man, earning him a slight but hurtful punch to her shoulder.

'Why are you even in such a hurry to get to work?' Jimmy inquired. Usually she would get in as everyone else's did. Jimmy himself was a freelance. He accepted jobs offered to him…he didn't have a schedule.

'I don't know Jimmy. I just want to get an early start to the day.'

'Seven is early, Ms Lane,' Jimmy shook his head. 'It's…six fifteen? You've got to admit…that's blasphemous.'

Lois chuckled slightly at his jest but opted to ignore him for the rest of the journey. Besides, something else caught her attention.

A loud BOOM splintered the air and all eyes followed a large metal form, speeding through the air like a plane between the buildings. People would have thought it a monster that threatened their safety, only…the look on their faces displayed both awe and excitement. The form was soon joined by four others. An army of LexCorp flying robots zoomed in, gaining speed once it passed over Fifth Avenue. Every single person cheered them on.

It was a sight growing quite common in Metropolis—these metal titans zooming in the skies, watching them. The giant L on their chests accompanied by the Metropolitan coat-of-arms acted as an assurance to the people, a promise that their protection was top priority.

In the sky, the army split and spread across the cityscape. Jimmy was already all over it, his camera out he got off the bus and chased the lead robot while Lois followed suit.

A few blocks away, a robbery had just taken place with the thieves getting into an unmarked van with over fifty million dollars cash and a little boy as a hostage. Soon they quickened their speed when they saw the Guardians flying in from every direction.

Not that the world could see, but the masked driver was smiling. Just as the robots closed in on their targets, the driver pushed a button on the shift stick which prompted the van into a sudden jolt of acceleration away from their would-be captors.

It was an experimental augmentation to the engine, an upgrade from nitrous oxide that street racers often used.

The child in their custody began to squirm, making some of the men a little nervous. Their hostage was not a part of the plan…but when their man on the roof, whom tapped into the bank's communications revealed that they didn't dial to 911 but instead directly to the Guardians.

'Boss, I think we're losing them!' The van dashed across the roads, dodging cars and poles. They were masters at the art. They were racers—the fastest in the United States. They outran cops, the army, and now the Guardians…

Suddenly…the car rocked violently and as if by magic, they felt gravity pulling them. They rose up high, nearly above the towers while the people inside were left in confused daze, screaming and kicking and some even vomiting.

'Mask aint paying us enough for this shit!' shouted one of the thieves.

The driver agreed. He'd have had something to say if it weren't for a big metal hand that tore him out of the driver's seat.

They ripped open the back, grabbed the other robbers and dragged them out while the hostage, the struggling little boy, was pulled by the force of momentum and found himself flying in mid-air. Bounded, helpless, screaming his lungs out as he fell more than a hundred feet.

Lois stood motionless with Jimmy, watching as the boy fell. Several other drones zoomed past. They thought that at least one of the Guardians would catch him. None did. She thought one was about to but to her horror the robot merely ignored him, even letting the boy get hit by its fists.

'Someone help him!' She found herself crying out aloud. The boy was only moments away from hitting the ground when…

…he wasn't.

That moment had passed but the boy was not a dead corpse, disfigured as she'd seen in the past from falling suicides. Instead stood a man with blonde hair in a brown jacket, in his arms was the boy and he seemed okay. He took the boy to Lois, placing him gently into her hands. 'The boy is in shock. Are you the mother?' he asked.

She inspected him for a moment. He had a name tag, an I.D. badge on his left chest pocket. _Barry Allen_? He was with the Central City Police Department?

'Ah…no…actually, I'm not but I know how to get him back. I'm Lois Lane of the Daily Planet.'

He offered a smile but took the boy back. 'Sorry, but that doesn't necessarily shout out much help,' he said a-matter-of-factly. 'Don't worry, I'll take him to the nearest Police Station.'

'Oh wait, I can call them up right—'

He was gone! She took her eyes off them for a moment to take her phone from her bag and the next thing Jimmy or she had noticed the man was gone.

She looked to Jimmy. 'Did you get it?' she asked, nodding to his camera.

Jimmy checked. 'A couple,' he told her and the two rushed in to work and throughout, she thought about what had just happened. On the monorail, she sees people from below, they were so happy, so excited. LexCorp Guardians were the new thing now. They were the protectors of society, the enforcers of the law. They got the job done it was true, and the fact they looked so damn awesome helped a lot.

'…Organised crime has decreased exponentially in Metropolis,' Mr White had told them once they pitched her article and Jimmy showed them the pictures. 'The people—they love the new robots, Lane. It makes them feel safe, and security is a rather fragile thing these days.'

'So in short…do nothing?' She not so subtly challenged. 'These things are as dangerous as anything else, more so than Superman, at least we know he was on our side.'

'God, Lane, Kent's got to your head. Those Guardians are property of Lex Luthor.' Perry glared at his protégé, arms crossed face stern to match Lois' own expression but looking down. 'Now I know you didn't stay in Canada for more than a few years so I am well aware you know what that means, Lois,' he began to raise his voice and the whole floor trained their attentions to Perry White's office.

'I know who Luthor is, Perry. We all do and that's the problem—'

Perry didn't even wait. He slammed his door shut and looked to the younger reporter. 'No, Lane, I don't think you do. Or you don't quite give a shit and that's _your_ problem.'

The young female reporter followed her superior with masked anxiety. She'd never really seen him angry before. He quite level headed even when expressing a passionate topic but this was different. But it also was not the first time she'd tried to gun down Lex Luthor.

Perry stood by the window with his hands resting behind his back. He took deep breaths before speaking again. 'I love this city, Lane, you know that,' she did and she agreed. 'It's taken a while but this city has become a beacon of hope to America. A city that has eliminated its organised crime rings—that's history, Lane and it's all thanks to the man you believe is Satan in disguise. It tells this country that the system is not broken, that it shouldn't be abandoned.'

'We _had_ hope, Chief. Superman was rounding corrupt businessmen and crime-bosses—the former of which your Mr Luthor is currently leader-boarding. Was he doing some good?'

'Okay, Lane that's enough.' His raised voice was enough to halt Lois into utter silence, making her feel like she was a child being scolded. 'We'll talk about this later but until then I want you to drop anything that has to do with the Guardians and Lex Luthor and get back to work.' She bowed dramatically and made to leave but not before Perry shouted again, 'And where in damnation is Kent?!'

White marched outside his office with a copy of that day's newspaper. On the front cover was an article about LexCorp's involvement with experimental radiation procedures, some in which was thought to be directly responsible for Atomic Skull. The By-line was shared between Lois Lane and Clark Kent though Lois claimed it was "all Kent's idea".

The article had no credible evidence to its name but that was beyond the purpose that both Kent and Lane had in mind.

'This goes to you all.' Perry warned, 'Our job is to write the news as objectively as possible. No opinions—so that means no _starting_ investigations based on your own personal preferences or opinions. The public loves Luthor so back off!'

Not a word was said in rebuke…though a couple of eye-rolling passed around. Perry would have considered himself a part of that. But sometimes, time and experience changes a man's perspectives.

It was not an opinion he clung to himself. He knew Luthor, knew their family. At one point he was good friends with Lex's mother before she died. She helped him, like she helped so many others. She was always generous and kind, and surprisingly understanding. But Perry could see little of those traits in her son.

Sitting in his office with his computer on, he stares at a picture of a young boy, dark skin, shaved head and a hoodie that was too big for his small stature. He looked at the woman standing beside him, both with smiles on their faces while the boy held out some sort of award. Mrs Luthor was a good woman, a kind woman. But that kindness did not help her in the end. That kindness did not help him survive several tours in the Middle-East.

He sighed. He knew what Kent saw in this building, The Daily Planet. It started off as a beacon for truth, a torch to shine the light on the darkness but now decrepit and censored. Perry looks out of his office at another across from his was where the real owner of The Daily Planet rested, at the _L_ logo on the door.

Bruno Manheim now owned the stream of media these days.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

Back at LexCorp, Luthor was left in his office in quite a foul mood. The blinds down and his room projecting the various profiles of the people speculated to have the metagene. The Israeli intelligence had his files…how?

He checked his security systems but there was nothing. He saw the footage of Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, breaking into this very office. But she stole nothing and only grazed through the profiles. When he did not see a mob of crazed humanitarians at his door demanding his head he guessed she chose not to publish her findings.

He'll have to check up on the going on at the Daily Planet for that. Perhaps a meeting with the owner of the newspaper firm Max Lord would clear things up a little bit.

Looking at his work he suddenly felt a slight chill…but it was not a cold chill, more an exhilaration of heat. Was this fear?

Fear of the truth, of confession? He had so much to confess—

No!

He had _NOTHING_ to confess!

As someone who had full control of everything, this breach of that ability was an itch in his back. He allowed his daughter freedom. He allowed her to scheme and play against him, play her little games with Superman, he had it under control and as it turned out, it all worked in his favour in the end.

But he checked every possibility and strengthened his security details and still, there were breaches of course, but none that led to those files. Only one copy, '…So where did they come from!'

'The way that sentient beings respond to stressful situations is quite fascinating to me at times, dear I say, entertaining,' though a little startled, Lex was not at all surprised by Brainiac's appearance. He holds the being in quite a loose rope, monitored of course, but Brainiac was quite free to look around the Earth. He trusted anyone who held such high regards on knowledge…

Or perhaps it was because of the precautionary contingency protocol imbedded on the leash that allowed Lex his curiosities.

If you just found out that life outside of your planet was a certainty, then of course you'd want to take the next step. That next step was seeing what these aliens could do. After all, most of his company's technologies were founded upon study of the automaton that Brainiac himself had sent down.

Already Lex had started his tutelage under the extra-terrestrial being. Learning about the functions of the universe—not a small subject to be honest and one that even Lex was finding difficulties grappling. But Lex Luthor was nothing if not a curiously smart learner.

There were worlds in the wide and vastly unexplored cosmos that intrigued him. The many civilisations that achieved what no other free-thinking, intelligent and will-full species on Earth has ever done…complete unity.

This was something that ignited a vicious jealousy within Luthor's subconscious.

'One of the factors that you would find in some cases,' Brainiac had lectured to him, 'is that these civilisations kept themselves at a constant rate of population, their curiosity was shared, there were none lazy enough to elect staying back in one spot or would let the others move away, thus keeping them in a unified environment. If one was curious about the world, then they would all go or share in the discovery.

'It is not a passion that drives them but an understanding that survival relies on a shared desire to live.'

'Well, we have that desire too, I concur.'

'True…but like all things, there are bad eggs,' Brainiac pointed out. 'There are the useless ones with no purpose in the service of progress. It slows down your march and drowns reason with superstition.'

'Faith is ancient,' he told the hologram. 'Humanity will hold onto a god for as long as they exist.'

Brainiac smiled. 'Exactly…control a God…and you control the flow of mankind's capacity for intelligence and reason.'

In the present, Luthor rubbed his forehead in a vain attempt to soothe the headache pounding in his head. 'I've turned every stone and still cannot determine how Israeli intelligence was able to get their hands on some of my files.' He then looked to Brainiac expecting an explanation. 'I thought the barriers you installed on my systems were impregnable while you explored?'

Strangely, Luthor expected the alien to respond with insult, but Brainiac seemed unaffected, unmoved and he spoke with a calm tone. 'My constructs are formidable especially against your more primitive software, Mr Luthor. Even in my restricted state, I can guarantee security…this being said I do not know by what means they came across your Metahuman project, but I can say they did not use the digital system.'

Perhaps it really was Ms Lane then, Luthor's mind suspected. The only other copies he had of the project was in hard copy files tucked safely, hidden in his draws. Though he saw Lane had gotten a look at them he was sure she had taken nothing, but clearly that was not the case.

'I guess Ms Lane is more serious about taking me down than previously realised. After all, I seemed quite irrelevant to her in the past.'

'Human conscience is a fragile concept, Mr Luthor,' Brainiac philosophised. 'You above most should be well accustomed to this factor.'

Lex shook his head in embarrassment. 'Apologies, my friend, I've just been a little bit tired as of late.'

'Is it perhaps your daughter that affects you so?'

He shrugs. 'I have her on in my line of vision twenty four hours a day. I know she will try to locate her friend…that Kryptonian.'

'Do you fear him?'

Again, Lex shook his head, though slightly. 'But I do fear for my people. I fear this…this alien will spell doom for mankind in one form or another. Best now that he remains isolated. If I can drive him against humanity, then I eliminate the grey area. I know his out there and now that he knows what humanity sees in him, I expect his next appearance would be clearer to the world. He'll be back.'

'I agree. Very soon I expect. Once he has prepared.'

The billionaire genius huffed and then turned away from Brainiac, calling for Mercy on his phone. When the assistant arrived, he spared no time in giving her orders. 'Get the "Eye" installed into the main computer for Brainiac to finish calibrations.'

'But I thought they were just prototypes?'

Mercy's employer groaned and looked at her with mild annoyance. Her mouth moved to speak but drew back to save herself further disfavour and complied to action his commands.

Though Brainiac cautioned him that the robots would do little against the Superman, Lex reminded him that he had a long term plan for their mutual enemy. 'I wouldn't worry about if the alien comes back…I just need to be patient.' Then to Mercy Graves, 'As for the Italians, delay the banquet tonight by half an hour. That should be enough time.'

'For what might I ask?'

Lex grinned at the holo-projection, 'Patience, my friend. That's what this city needs, to live on into the tomorrow I've always dreamed of. It needs patience and me of course.' He then held out a four-inch vial of what looked to be blood, presenting it to the hologram. 'This is some Kryptonian blood that I confiscated from my daughter. I want you to translate it into quantum bits and run it through the "Eye" project. We'll then be able to locate this Kryptonian if he actually is the last of his kind.'

Brainiac raised his hand and the test tube began to hover over his hand. 'I will do my best.' The Hologram watched Lex leave with a sceptic Mercy closely behind. The entity examined the bottle of blood, his eyes already reading the blood and categorising the sequences. His mouth widened and the bottle shattered into pieces in the blood pool on the ground. 'I have no need for this,' he said to the empty office. 'I know exactly where you are, Son of El.'

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

One word to describe Lois Lane: Curious, stubborn, difficult, maybe? She definitely wouldn't call herself consistent. The words "_heinous bitch_" comes to mind.

Lane waited on the line with the MetPD for their operator to get back to her…but that was seventeen minutes ago. She forgot how tedious it was, allowing her habit of smoking dictate her sense. It wasn't even lit but if she saw a single person come within an inch of her with self-righteous abound and she'd flip her finger to ward them off._ Argh, probably should have said it was a life or death emergency._

It took an hour for them to get back to her by which time she had gotten…well nowhere, she was just sitting at her desk reading one of Kent's old _Daily Star_ newspapers from his desk. '…Hello, hi…um, this is Lois Lane from the Daily Planet…I'm looking for an officer Berry Allen?

'What do you mean he isn't on record in Metro…wait.' Then the line went dead, all of a sudden becoming to0 busy. She paused for a moment to process her thoughts. What she saw back there, it was not normal. She thought back to Superman, normal sort of died out when he made the scene.

She grew tired, feeling like her brain was going to explode she dropped the phone and almost her head. After retrieving herself, she picked up her phone, vexed as she tried once more. She looked up the name and the first thing to come up was a nine year-old news article about a murder of a married woman in front of her twelve year-old son, _Berry Allen_.

'Wow…tough break,' Lois remarked. She printed out a headshot of the boy, now twenty-one years-old, he matched the man that saved the kid from falling, before packing her bag for the day.

The intrusive reporter made for the exit but halted when she saw Heather Kelley approach Jimmy at Kent's table. Her own story with Clark was intriguing, apparently the two were dating, she wondered what that was like, to be in a sexual relationship with Superman.

'Hey, Jimmy.'

'Oh, hi Heather,' Jimmy responded quite surprised and nervously off guard. Heather, though seemed fine, had a look about her that gave Lois a weird vibe, it was clear she'd been crying recently. 'What's up?'

She looked around uncertainly as she asked. 'I…I was just wondering if Clark's been around the apartment lately?'

'Oh…uhh…No, sorry, Heather, he's still at his mom's place I think. She's just gotten out of surgery last time I checked.'

Heather did not look like she knew how to make of what the young photographer had said. She knew there was more going on than Jimmy had revealed…but then again that was probably more than he knew. She gave him a wide smile, trying her best to be normal but was sure only achieved awkwardness. 'Okay, Jimmy…thanks. But if he does call in…could tell me?'

'Sure thing, Heather,' offering his own attempt at a normal smile. He watched as the hot blond walked off to her own desk.

Soon Lane joined in, watching her move she wondered how Ms Kelley and Kent could have hidden their relationship for so long._ They seemed quite serious too_. Perhaps she also knows of Kent's secret? Then another question leaked into her head. 'How do they do it?' she said absent-mindedly.

'Oh, Ms Lane,' Jimmy called but when she got to him his voice became whispers. 'I have the photos of the perp,' there were two photos in his hand but when he showed the images Lois saw only a blur smeared across the page.

'I don't get it?'

Jimmy leaned in closer, pointing at the blur. 'I had this on the lowest shutter-speed possible, taken at an angle to which I could probably capture a race car clocking more than two-hundred and ten miles per hour.'

'So this is the guy?' Still scratching her head and asked him.

The young photographer scratched his chin, 'It should be. I don't know, Ms Lane. I think that guy would have had to be going faster than sound.' The two stayed silent for a while before being broken by Lois plopping the photos into her messenger bag. 'Do you think we have enough to make the papers?'

Lois shook her head. 'Hard chance, Jimmy,' she sounded regrettably though also keeping somewhat of a matter-of-factly tone. 'You're right that a picture says a thousand words but none of these say anything I can write on paper—unless I was confessing myself to a psych ward.'

'Well, you'll never know, Ms Lane.' He chirped. 'I mean we did see a man catch a train with his bare hands and fly across the city. Oh and by the way, I decrypted the last file on CK's computer.' He handed her a finger nail sized USB. 'I haven't looked through it yet but I gotta warn you to use a secure network just in case.'

'Thanks, Jimmy,' she beamed excitedly 'By the way…just so you know, don't you find it weird that Clark's been gone for months now, not even a word?' Food for thought,' she smiled coyly at him and powerwalked her way out of the Planet.

**-=O=-**

* * *

**-=O=-**

Her apartment was dark. Her blinds closed, doors locked and entire room searched just in case…she'd have to see a therapist about her paranoia (Note to self).

With Clark's laptop on her small dining table, Lois sat herself up for a long night— her cup of espresso on her right and a box of nicotine patches in her pockets, she began to search her colleague's private device. It did not take long.

Lane clicked on an icon in a discrete corner in his library that opened up entire software she was unfamiliar with. It had the LexCorp logo on it with the subtitle ready _Lea Luthor_. Excitement shot through her spine like a volcanic eruption. Did she just gain access to Lex Luthor's secret stash of…well, secrets?

She clicked on a side menu titled Projects… ACCESS DENIED!

'Fuck!' she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustrated groans but continued to shift through anything else she had access to. _Kent, what did you stumble on here?_

A file, recently unlocked that very day at one of LexCorp's meeting rooms…she clicked on it…was this thing feeding from LexCorp live?

Soon her page began flashing screenshots of photos and personal information in annotated formation. 'What the fuck?' She saw the names, dozens—no, hundreds. 'What's a _metagene_?' the words trying to hide at the top right hand side, next to names and faces she had definitely seen before.

Then, the screen went black and in faded the words _Project Cadmus: Ongoing._

She did a quick search on project Cadmus on Clark's desktop which then revealed an abandoned research lab in an older district of Metropolis. Quickly she packed a small messenger bag of essentials like flashlight and lock picking kit before calling Jimmy excitedly, with instructions to rendezvous at an old Kord Tech building.

Her night was going to be very long indeed.

**-=O=-**

**Author's Note: This chapter was quite an iffy project to me. I had so much stuff to do and this sort of took a back seat. But I'll try and push on as best I can, I want to see this project finished and a next one on the way. Some of my other universes have taken a hiatus rocket to the face and I want to protect this DC line as best as I can. **

**Can I just comment that on the topic of Brainiac, I've always envisioned him to look a lot like Vision from Avengers Age of Ultron. That was actually the first thought that came into mind when I saw the film and my nerding out that I just saw Vision subsided.**

**I do strongly apologise at how long I've left this and hope it makes up in some way.**

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**


	23. First Contact

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**FIRST CONTACT**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**ISRAEL**_

It's all quite complicated and fucked up…humanity is like that sometimes…but I'm getting a head of myself.

It all started when a Palestinian boy tried to sell a gaming console to pay for passage out and to…well anywhere. Things escalated when money wasn't met to his requirements, there was shouting and soon the police had come in, the boy kept making a ruckus, some heavy words were exchanged on both sides, even words like terrorist or 'He's got a gun!'

In point of fact, he didn't…the boy had a knife which he lodged into the shop owner's belly. The boy was arrested and sentenced to life in prison as a terrorist with no chance of parole.

Now, the boy's little brother had wandered off in search of him. When the boy did not make it back, his friends had come in after him. One of them was a little girl, no older than seven, had run in to catch up once the rest of the kids had found their friend.

A police officer on instinct had opened fire to her yells, injuring her in the leg, while she had been crying in agony on the floor, a tank had come in. Not seeing the girl in the middle of the road, nor did they hear her endless screaming.

They would have crushed her, but a force had fallen from the skies. A shirtless Clark Kent thumbed between the girl and tin can of destruction, looked through the tank's gun and with one deep breath, unleashed a concentrated winter into the barrel, freezing the mechanisms as well as the explosives inside.

That wasn't enough however as he then jumped onto the top and ripped the turret off. He then moved back down to check on the children.

'Are you guys alright?' he inquired to the girl. She was still crying though he could tell she was trying very hard to keep the tears from escaping. The other children had gathered around the stranger and Clark made sure there were none others behind. 'I'm going to get you guys out of here, alright?' wordlessly, they accepted his help and held onto him as he began to ascend.

Clark was able to get the children back safely. He was immediately met with praise and an abundance of thanks from worried parents. He smiled at them and gave a standard salute before returning to the skies.

He did not stay up for long for a great force had come across like lightning, striking him out of suspension and tumbling back to earth.

Struggling up the crater he created, Clark shook his head in pain trying to get to his feet. Then a large shadow was cast over him, Clark looked up and was faced finally with one of Lex Luthor's robots. 'Core override accepted,' the guardian said. 'In the name of the State of Israel and the United Nations, you are under arrest.'

The robot then began to pound him deeper into the dirt. After some further beating, Clark saw an opportunity in the robot's movements. It was a blind spot around his head. He blasted the head off the body with Heat vision. The body slew down like a rag doll and Clark left just as surely…only to be surrounded by an army of Guardians bearing Luthor on their chests over the Star of David.

'Not open for talking this out then?'

They remained silent, but then again, what was Clark really expecting?

Clark shot up into the air. He was back in Jerusalem—he could even see the Temple Mount in the Old City a few miles away…but that view became quickly blocked by three tonnes of metal. 'Kryptonian, in the name of the State of Israel and—'

He flew straight into one of the robots before it finished. Instantly the machines began to attack him. One punched him across the jaw then the other grabbed him by the leg and threw him across the city. He tried to control himself away from civilians as best he could, digging his feet and hands into the stone roads to add friction.

'EVERYBODY MOVE NOW!' he screamed and they shuffled away as quickly as possible. 'Get as far away from here as possible!'

The guardians arrived and one threw its fists against his head. He was knocked back a metre before pushing forward and smashing it away where it hit another one coming at full speed. Clark looked around him and saw the people running and screaming. The guardians, while they walked up to him, they seemed to ignore the many bystanders either running away or not. Their feet kicked and stomped on people as they passed.

'What are you doing?!' he cried. 'These are your people!' But they all ignored him, their walk of destruction becoming fiercer. Clark continued to work to push people out of the way but that proved to be his undoing as one robot was able to grab him by the arm.

'Access, Kryptonian…'

Those words, that voice…Clark's eyes bulged out of their sockets at the memory but before he could do anything about it, they smashed him and it was so hard that he flew straight into the side of the Temple Mount, shattering the plateau into a hurricane of rocks and stones

Sifting through the rubble of one of the world's most sacred places, Clark's mind tried to recompose itself. His reprieve was short lived however, as the destructive robot giants returned to finish him off. Clark was ready for them though. 'This ends now!' His eyes were red and once they moved into position he fired his laser blasts at them, destroying one's arms, then another's head and torso. He intercepted a punch and sent the thrower smashing into the rest of the robots.

He flew up again, the robot army left in a mess of metal on the ground. What he saw left of the Temple Mount which once stood the Dome of the Rock and the Mosque of Al-Aqsa, now there was only one full tower of earth rising up with one single boulder on top, surrounded by a metal ring. It was beyond a doubt the sacred rock shared by Judaism, Christianity and Islam, a miracle maybe?

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**ARCTIC CIRCLE**_

There was an intrusion of security protocol in the ancient Kryptonian vessel. But there was no forced entry. There was nothing broken or tampered with.

But the ship could feel it was being violated. Jor-El appeared in the Ceremonial Chambers, 'Isolate invasive intelligence. Source code one-hundred.'

A chuckle echoed through the dead halls like an orchestra. 'You were always far ahead of your time, El. Too dangerous for the intellectual restrictions of your people.' Jor-El turned in time to see the Brainiac hologram forming from the mainframe data of the fortress. It walked to one of the statues that lined the rectangular hall. 'One of the many factors in your demise I presume.'

'So I take it that the Corp failed to detain you…but given the lateness of your visit, perhaps not.'

Though Brainiac could not facially express his displeasure, his stance stiffened, his hands rolled into balls but then began to inspect the hall. He sees the house sigil at the end of the room and coyly smirks. 'Such a prideful people,' he jeered, then looked back at the statue of Dax-Ur, looking down at him with that condescending smile.

'I will not lie that your presence on this planet is surprising and I would ask you why,' Jor-El rounded on the AI, eyes focused on it intently, untrustingly. 'I know why you're here, Brainiac. You want to begin the process.'

'Would there be any other reason?'

Glaring daggers at the hologram, 'I will not let you destroy this planet, Brainiac.'

'I do not believe you clearly understand my purpose, Jor-El.'

'Does it really matter?' Jo answered. 'You appear on different planets as their gods, manipulated their paths, and they came to one conclusion…their own destruction.'

Again, Brainiac chuckled, 'Very good, old friend, very good. You always were the sharpest mind in a world of geniuses. Look what good that has done to you.'

'You will not destroy this planet.'

'I find there is no point in destroying these people, Jor-El.' The Extra-terrestrial computer found the main data input at the bridge above. Looking directly up he began to dig and tap. Jor readied himself when he saw the slight chuckle. 'Computer…Quarantine this Artificial Intelligence and suspend power systems to flight and navigation.'

A female voice hummed, '_Affirmative._' And just like that, Jor-El had vanished.

'You know, I may be old fashioned, but I was always raised to respect another's household,' Clark burst into the Grand Chambers and landed in front of the alien, his arms crossed over his bare chest. 'Mind telling me who you are?'

Brainiac folded his hands and stared in what looked to admiration, or a mad curiosity. 'So it is that the line of Krypton has survived. I would try to reason with you as I have tried with your father, but that would be pointless.'

Clark moved forward with firm steps. He took only a few before he felt a familiar pain, he felt like throwing up… a pain he had felt in Metropolis. He stumbled back, trying to keep his footing and not fall, he heard a familiar voice, 'Access Kryptonian.' A Guardian shot out from behind Brainiac, his palm was glowing green, violently flashing. It was that alien radiation that Luthor had used.

'Strange to think of just how much power the sun has. What power He giveth, he taketh away just as easily.' Brainiac nodded to the Guardian and it swatted Clark in the back. Blood dripped out from his mouth in a splatter at his feet. 'Do you feel that?' he asked in taunt. 'Do you feel your body weakening, your pain receptors rendered so sensitive…' The robot took Clark's hand and he felt like roaring out in agony. 'Painful?'

The Guardian drew him off the floor and flew him through the room and into the hallways, shattering one of the statues of revered Kryptonian scientists. The Luthor robot fired blasts from its eyes but Clark managed to dodge them and send his own shooting back. Unfortunately the metallic man was also able to evade the beam. It lunged at him swiftly but the Kryptonian flipped over it and kicked it forward a few metres—not enough.

The Guardian though with Luthor's seal like the rest of them, somehow looked different. Its eyes were purple, the light they emanated seemed stranger, alien to him. It swung at him, a bit too much though and he needed only to duck down and land punch to the side, pushing it into the wall, leaving a large crater. But the robot did not falter. It was definitely not like the others. Its metallic skin was hard, formidable. He could not even penetrate much of the outer layer with his fists. He was weakening.

Clark blocked a couple of punches and jabs, allowing him to then kick the robot further away. Now, with the ghostly Brainiac in sight, he flew at it. A long shot but he figured that a scratch on the containment that held the ceremonial armour would start a quarantine procedure that would reject the Artificial Intelligence.

But before he could even reach it, just at arm's length, Brainiac had another Guardian appear from the ceiling, grabbed the little Kryptonian man and flung him away. Luckily, he flew right into the grand emblem. Mustering as much strength as he could, Clark sent a bone crushing punch straight into the symbol of El. He could actually feel his bones, breaking in his hands, his fingers.

He had to ignore it, it was killing him but he needed to end this. With a deep breath, he ripped open the door and then shattered the glass protecting the suit. He touched the symbol and it suddenly reacted, disappearing into the symbol which now felt like some sort of metal plate. He brought the symbol to his chest and he found himself covered. The suit had appeared on his body perfectly including a helmet, a tough formfitting blue outfit that acted as sort of like chainmail. His family coat-of-arms was now on a chest plate, also blue as well as pauldrons on each shoulder.

On his arms and legs felt like more metallic armour— cold blue gauntlets, and crimson red metallic boots.

The tactical visor that covered his helmet gave him a medical readout of his body. He cringed at the display, he was heavily saturated. Radiation poisoning in yellow covered his body and red in his hands and arms relayed his broken bones. It took a while but then he noticed the yellow receding. He felt stronger again, still painful, but less so now.

The suit was somehow expelling the radiation and simultaneously repairing his bones.

He could see Brainiac turn to him, about to walk his way until the pixels that made his form begun to disappear. It would have seemed a victory, but the Guardians were still there. They all attacked him at once. They met in the middle with Clark dodging and intercepting strikes nut was still unable to land any of his own.

They stopped for only a moment but Clark could not do anything, he was rendered helpless and the Guardians began to pound at him crazily. When Clark captured one of their fists, it merely punched him with the other, straight out of the fortress and into the cold winds. But the sun, its powerful rays filling him up again.

But he was not given the opportunity for a reprieve as he was then caught by the robot but now they both were flying, it was flying him across the landscape. Kansas farm boy had to kick the robot off of him real hard before trying his luck and anchor himself into the snow and stop.

Kent was in a daze, everything was getting too blurry and unfocussed. He crawled away from the crater he left behind. He was in an ocean of white snow in every direction. The Kryptonian vessel was but a dot in the distance. Then two metal feet stopped him, he tried to gather more strength but then seemingly from nowhere, that Brainiac hologram appeared. 'To think, that I have been roaming galaxies for eons, and never have I come across such a phenomenon as you, Son of El.' He suddenly felt himself lifted off the ground. Three tentacles suddenly appeared from Brainiac's head, on their tips were sharp needles looking quite deadly. 'Kryptonians were revered for their advanced minds. Let's see how it is multiplied tenfold under the young Sun.'

Clark believed that it was only a hologram, after all he had no reason to think otherwise, he looked quite ghostly and if he had any density whatsoever, why did he not fight back himself?

'What…what are you?' he tried. His visor was only slightly damaged but so far the computer could not give any readings on the being.

Brainiac laughed and held him closer, the aura that held his neck tightened. 'I am the soul and the mind of a thousand worlds, Kal-El. I am the source of Knowledge and power and culture. Do not worry, you will catch on eventually,' he jeered. It took Clark by surprise when he felt a stabbing pain when the needles drove through his skull at various places…and everything became black.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

'Why does this keep happening to me?'

There was a sigh of relief as he regained his vision but it did not come from him. 'He is regaining consciousness, my friend.'

'That is a relief, J'onn,' relayed Jor-El.

What he saw next to his holographic father however, startled him greatly. It was a human, that police detective from Metropolis, 'Detective Jones?' He looked around and found himself in the Med bay near the lower archives. He was on a metal slab, his ceremonial armour was gone leaving him back in his grey trunks.

'Rest easy, Kal-El, you were highly saturated. You need to be careful.' The man was analysing one of the Kryptonian computers, this one displaying his heart. 'You vitals are returning to normal, the radiation is leaving your systems and with more exposure to sunlight, your bones are setting. As for what happened last— Brainiac was able to extract some information from you. From henceforth you must be cautious.'

Clark raised a finger to get his attention. 'Could somebody please, just tell me what is going on, because my head's a little sore at the moment.'

'All will be revealed in time, Son of El,' said the detective, the very human detective that seemed to know his way around Kryptonian technology.

'What was that thing?' Kal asked his father while still nursing his own wounds. 'It was right in front of me but neither of us could even touch each other.' He noticed this more when it kept ordering the Guardians to fight even when he was at arm's length to it.

A high concentration of concern was evident on Jor-El's simulated face. He looked to Detective Jones and nodded. 'He's origins are unknown but on Krypton he is called Brainiac.'

'What is he doing here on Earth and how did he survive Krypton?'

Jor-El shook his head in confusion. 'I am afraid I cannot say. My memories of some of the last few days of Krypton are blocked. I cannot access that branch of Jor-El's memory bank.'

Jones nodded, telling him he would look in on that soon.

Still, Clark had absolutely no idea of what happened—with this Brainiac figure, and Detective Jones, now seeing both in a strangely different light. He never felt more vulnerable since his father's death.

'Right now however,' the detective begun saying, 'Brainiac has successfully disabled the ship's major capabilities. This facility will be staying immobile forever.'

Clark shrugged his shoulders and pulled himself up. 'Not a problem, I had no real intentions of moving this thing anywhere anyway.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**KRYPTON…**_

Ever since the First Galactic War, the seat of Kryptonian power and knowledge rested upon the Elder Council of Kandor—an assembly of fifty-two representatives of Krypton's continents that decided upon the planet's fate, from the declaration of intergalactic alliance to the drafting of planetary laws and regulations. Fifty Head of Houses looked down from their high thrones circulating the round chambers, looking down at a member of their council. 'Jor-El,' Har-Kn spoke in cautioned tone. 'Be reasonable.'

The young scientist sighed. 'My Lord, I have never been otherwise. But alas what I have said is a matter of fact.' Jor-El began to pace around—dressed in white robes shared by the council, with his own house emblem on his chest. 'I told you that harvesting energy directly from the core is suicide…no it's worst, it's genocide. It has accelerated the planet's aging process.'

'Jor-El is mistaken,' all eyes turned to a generated hologram taking form, walking across the room but staying along the thrones. 'These tremors are merely the planet replenishing its resources. The energy mines are flourishing, the Drill is digging deeper, steadier.'

'He's wrong!' Jor burst out, pointing at the hologram. 'Your unnatural reaping of Krypton will mean the end of us all!'

'Is that the words of Science…or of _Rao_?' Jor-El looked to Representative Kyrn Var-Uhl, as she stared down with self-gratified victory. The room became as silent as death itself, riding on the anxiety of the room. 'Do not deny that you do not still hold tight to that sad and ancient religion. It has tampered with your mind, El. Made you so tied to our doom.'

He scowled at the thinly lady with distrusting eyes. 'Can a scientist not also believe in a sacred way of living? Has it now become a crime to cherish life?' They merely scoffed at him. He took a minute to gather himself, how he found that difficult, but in the end he found himself again and took a deep breath in. 'My friends. I come to you all as a scientist, that has looked, researched, laboured, calculated, and all I have discovered is that for some time, this planet is sick…and I've done nothing to save it.' He then turned back to the hologram. 'But you turn to Brainiac for answers.'

'Brainiac has served this planet brilliantly, made us stronger than even the Guardians of Oa,' Lor-Van argued.

'No, Brainiac has made you question your own.' Jor spoke more directly to Lor, his wife's father, whom had never truly liked him, always poking at Jor-El's insistence to the Faith of Rao. 'You no longer court curiosity of the wider universe. Instead you shut our planet away.' He walked back to address the entire assembly. 'But we can stop this. We can ensure our race's future. I could build the hundred thousand transport ships and it would take me years—but as a united planet? Re-establish the Interstellar Academies and together we can save Krypton.'

The assembly broke out in scandalous gasps and murmurs. 'Are you seriously suggesting that we evacuate the entire planet?' Representative Ghaz-Iir said with her mouth aghast.

'I am _demanding_ that we put aside our differences and unite. Together we can save our people.'

They looked to be in deep thought and the young student of science saw a ray of hope. Even Shin-Ur, whom Jor saw often in professional rivalry, was considering him. Then…it all came crashing down as they all turned to the hologram form and Jor-El's heart sank so far so fast. Brainiac gave a slight nod, one that did not escape Jor-El's notice.

They all rose and Lor-Van spoke. 'This council is convened. Jor son of El, I am hereby forced to deny you demands under the law against insurrection.' He pointed down at him like some almighty deity atop a throne of stone. 'You will also henceforth be dismissed from the council until further notice.'

That was when Jor lashed out. 'Are you really that blinded by fear that you would condemn this planet to complete destruction?'

'Jor-El is once again over estimating his thesis,' computed the Artificial Intelligence. 'The tremors are merely a result of minor shifts in the planet's tectonic plates.'

'You cannot seriously believe that Argos, Corinth and the Ventruvian Isles were the result of shifting stability?'

Lor-Van stamped his fists onto the arm rest. 'Enough of this, Jor-El, you are dismissed. Cause any more trouble and I will have you arrested and sent to the Phantom Zone with Zod!'

Jor-El took a long hard stare at his father-in-law, one of distain that Lor tried returning. 'Understood, High Councillor,' he turned around and marched out of the council chambers. As soon as he exited the Citadel and onto the plaza, he felt a low trembling from under his feet. He was sure the people in Ibyn Square could feel it also. Rao help them.

**-=O=-**

Clark shot up from his bed, alert. His room was in darkness and silence. Only the footsteps of the robotic servants could be heard. He shook his head of the weariness. It was definitely a dream, yet it felt so real. It felt as though he was there, on Krypton._ What was that? What's happening to me?_

'Your mind is experiencing a side effect from Brainiac's mind-link,' Detective Jones entered the Medic Bay. 'Brainiac was able to see some of your memories, Kal, but so will you be able to see some of his.'

How? It was like he could read his mind, know what he was dreaming.

'Do not fear, Kal-El. The effects will wear off in time.'

Clark could do nothing but smile and nod. He was not really in the mood for contemplating other such mysteries of the universe. An army of robotic half-wits led by an evil hologram was quite enough for him—more than enough if his headache was any indication.

Then something occurred to him and his eyes opened like saucers. 'B5, open up viewing glass to North-American Channels, please,' a voice answered his request and the wall before him of crystal had turned on to display various channels. 'Look for any reference to Lex Luthor.'

'A moment, please,' said the ominous voice. After some searching which only took a little over three seconds, the logo for Channel Nine appeared.

'…_Thanks for that, Charlie_,' spoke the anchor-man. '_Now, we're back to LexCorp Metropolis where CEO Lex Luthor has revealed that his Secure Infinite Project has reached global. Now, this could be quite world altering, wouldn't you say, Leslie?'_

'_Oh, no doubt, Bill. There has even been talk that North Korea might even be brought to the fold soon.'_

It cut to Metropolis Citizen's Square with Lex Luthor atop the stairs to the Court House. '_I am not just a man of Metropolis, but a man of Earth,_' Clark rolled his eyes. Of course Luthor would make sure to remind people who was on their side. '_And as such, I have dreamed of a world that knows peace, and safety. A world united in this dream is what I have always tried to strive for. But it isn't easy, I understand that, but we can._' Two giant robots fell from the skies, landing on their feet and with backs straight, saluted the crowd. '_We can achieve this, dream. We need only take it together, stay connected. With this new program, bridges what we already know of the new world, and the physics of quantum reality. I called the Guardians because unlike the alien Superman, whose battleship has yet to leave our orbit, are in total devotion to our defence._'

_With this new system they can protect us twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and without a single man needed or risked. And also, as Americans, we will pave the way to a brighter future, fight these aliens who threaten us, for the right to a brighter tomorrow!'_

He then changed the channel, flicking through various stations, until he suddenly stopped. World News, Near East, Israeli police had arrested a young child, a girl, Kayan Nissar. It was the girl he had saved in Israel. There was footage—Kayan had started a sandstorm around herself when Israeli officers came to talk to her. '_Another one with super-human abilities,_' said the reporter. '_Dr Silas Stone at S.T.A.R. Labs has labelled these people like Kayan and Atomic Skull as metahuman and has urged caution when engaging with such dangerous people._'

There was silence and Jones looked at him rather expectantly. 'What will you do now?'

He had the wall made transparent, giving him a view of the endless field of white snow, the sun beginning to rise in the distance. Those Guardians that attacked him before were more different than the other, than the ones that engaged him in Israel.

Brainiac had his hands all over this, and Lex Luthor was either an unwilling accessory or an accomplice. Either way, Brainiac had some advantage. He still wasn't sure and that was one of the reasons for his decision. He'd come so far, he'd seen so much to just roll over and let Brainiac's threats go unchecked. Plus, he'll need to see this whole deal with that Kryptonian ship hovering over Earth.

'I've been hiding out here for long enough.' There was his emblem resting on the table, he took the metal plate and stuffed it into a bag and he got dressed. 'It's time for me to return.'

**-=O=-**

**-=S=-**

**Author's Note: I believe that I and nearly finished with this run. I have also started a Wonder Woman story as well and hope you guys enjoy it. **

**This chapter I found quite difficult to balance out. Honestly, I felt a little depressed when I read the latest Superman/Wonder Woman Annual was quite depressing to me. Anyway, in this chapter, I found inspiration for Superman's suit from the Man of Steel body suit and combined with the Arkham Knight, everything from armour to the helmet but minus the ears. One thing I did find quite difficult was how Clark would put on that suit. I opted more towards the New 52 version.**


	24. Luthor

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**LUTHOR**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**C.A.D.M.U.S. LABORATORIES (Former Designation)**_

The midnight air breezed through her hair with cool blows. Lois waited on the sidewalk opposite the abandoned building. Google Maps led her here and true to her speculations there didn't seem to be much life there.

It was always dark around the Industrial District. In truth she never really went this far in, damp and dirty, it didn't really bother her as much. Suicide Slum was worse but here, she actually felt the atmosphere was different here. It was less clean, toxic. More than a hundred years of fire and soot had made the air a little hotter, she could actually taste rust.

'I hate this place,' Jimmy whined behind her. He grabbed a chocolate bar from his bag and paused, almost waiting for the "Okay" from Lois. 'I'm hungry. I didn't get to eat all day—'

'Fine, just hurry up.'

'What exactly are we doing here?'

Lois produced a hand-held device from her bag and began to tamper around with it. 'You're not going to believe this, but that thing you decrypted, was a bridge to the LexCorp mainframe. I don't know what Kent was onto but he was researching this place a lot.'

Jimmy had to stop her there. 'Wait, are you saying we're about to break into a LexCorp owned building?'

'What, you've done it before—'

'Exactly, and I don't want to be doing that shit again,' he began to walk away but Lois grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

'Come on, Olsen, I need you,' she pleaded. 'I need someone to help me find out what Luthor is up to. You saw what he did with the other interns—'

'No I saw what Dr Lerman did.'

'Well if things are happening under your roof, you're just as responsible.'

Before they moved on the factory, Jimmy took another look at the structure. An abhorred eyesore standing on a lone island that was the epicentre of pollution in the district, but LexCorp didn't want to have it demolished. It was more a monument, a symbol that LexCorp still had ownership of the oldest city district. 'Isn't that place like highly toxic?'

'LexCorp's official statement had this place declared highly irradiated but I—' all of a sudden her device began to beep at a rapid pace, vibrating in her hand viciously. 'I think they could be right. Luckily I prepared.' She walked to one pf the trash cans and revealed a couple of old radiation suits from behind the cans. 'I swiped these from LexCorp and hid them in the laundry shoot for later use.'

They had to cross a moat that surrounded the complex and scale the fifty foot walls a couple of times before they reached the courtyard. What they found was a quiet, dead, deserted building on the verge of decay, until the two intruders came in, completely wrapped in the protective Hazmat suit, and Lane's device beeped even louder. 'I've got a bad feeling about this, Ms Lane, a very, very bad feeling about all of this.'

The courtyard was littered with death. Dead cats and rodents all along their path gave Lane the chills. 'Luthor said that they were working on military weapons that malfunctioned when American Steel stopped supplying materials and he had to buy off Derek Powers.' Lois knelt in order to examine the rotting corps of a small black cat. 'Some friends and I protested that LexCorp was arming that terrorist cell in Bialya. That was why American Steel pulled out and why Luthor limited his Military contract.'

'Right, limited but not actually denied…hmm, Ms Lane, I think your watch is broken.'

Lois' shielded vision looked to her digital watch, a complimentary present from a past date—it was going haywire. The numbers had taken the form of totally different symbols, consistent but constantly changing too. Then it hit her.

She hastily searched for her phone. _Aha, I knew it!_

Her phone was also displaying those same symbols. She took off her visor and breathing apparatus much to the shock and protest of Jimmy. But she was not hurt, she was breathing in the air deeply, the photographer was flabbergasted.

'It isn't toxic,' she gasped. 'It isn't radiation, Jimmy.'

They rid themselves of the suits and tried to search for a way inside the facility. The front door was locked and she didn't think she'd be able to barge through, and Jimmy was definitely not able to. When Jimmy asked for the next step, she simply grinned at him. To the side she saw a couple of pipes and railings without their platforms. She kicked off the wall for momentum and aimed for the first pipe sticking out from the wall a few feet off the ground.

Second pipe, third, fourth, then reached for the railings and she then climbed up where she balanced on the metal rod for a moment of planning. She kicked a window open but before entering, let down a fire-escape ladder that just touched the ground for Jimmy.

Inside she held out a torch to light her way down the corridors. Dark, damp and smelt like rotting corpses…yep, that was exactly what she expected.

'What is all this stuff?' Olsen inquired. He pointed at the tables of paper and discs, the charts of the human anatomy and several molecule structures.

'After A.S. pulled out of LexCorp's weapon manufacture, they secretly started experimenting on bio-engineered weapons.' There was a door that was completely left ajar but on the side it labelled the room as Project Cadmus, so they ventured in. 'I read that a scientist from S.T.A.R. Labs discovered people with the ability to get powers. He called them _Metahumans_ I think.'

'Sounds like something out of a comic book, Ms Lane.'

She chuckled, glad at the insertion of levity that the freelance photographer offered. 'So is Superman.'

'So you really think he's on our side?' Of course she'd seen the broadcasts that update them on the Kryptonian war vessel in space though she noticed it didn't move at all. 'You know…the guy's an alien from another planet, right? I mean its wack.'

She shined her torch on a tankard at the centre…she wished she hadn't. Jimmy fell to the floor in horror at what he was spectacle to. There was a human being, a boy, barely ten, floating in suspended animation. Tubes protruded from the boy's body. Lois clenched her fists. 'I've seen stranger, Jimmy,' she said as she helped the young man onto his feet.

The boy in the tank was definitely dead…or perhaps he wasn't even alive. Either way he was beyond any of their help. 'What the eff is that?!'

Lois grimaced, rummaging through one of the desks, 'This is Project Cadmus.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

'Don Maroni, si tratta di una piacevole sorpresa,' Luthor entered his office, Mercy Graves in tow behind him. The aging Italian mob boss had already made himself comfortable in his seat, smoking an expensive cigar while enjoying his view of the shining city. 'Come si, qualcuno di tale.'

'You flatter me, Mr Luthor,' he accepted the compliments. 'You know, I've never truly liked your city. It's too shiny…too clean. I don't trust a city without a little dirt on it.'

As Luthor moved to stand beside his guest he noticed a couple of armed men in the same black business suits as their boss only with red ties, four of them he counted. An understandable precaution the billionaire was quite familiar with. Still it irritated him to be so surrounded by invasive threats like this. Four men with semi-automatic pistols in their hands, rested in their laps, with each fashioning facial scars.

The impatient billionaire smiled at the bigger man, a little too fake, but the best he could come up with at the moment. 'Well we all have our places in the world, signore. As it is I do not personally believe I would ever belong in Gotham City.'

The Italian agreed. 'Now let us get straight to business, Mr Luthor.' As the others advanced a little closer, Mercy tried to close the gap between her and her employer. 'You recently helped Gotham Police deploy their metal toys on the streets, your Guardians.'

'That was what they commissioned, is there a problem?' _Of course there was a problem_.

'Well I know you are a smart man, Mr Luthor so I shall try not to bore you with simplified _toro merda_, so let me get to the point. 'I believe we can cut up a deal. Anything you want for the control system that runs those robots.'

He smiled at the Italian Crime boss. Sal could already see Lex's rejection. 'As interesting as that sounds…there is absolutely nothing you have to offer me.'

Maroni got up from the chair, while his men rounded on Lex. One of them kicked Mercy's leg across the knees, forcing her to the ground with a couple of guns at her. The rest held Lex's shoulders, he struggled but only a little, for he knew what was coming.

Salvatore Maroni stood above the businessman, a sly grin as he looked the man down. 'Now I thought you were smart. Perhaps I should simplify just a little more.'

Physically helpless…that was what Lex felt at that moment. He's felt that before…

**-=O=-**

_He watched his mother smiling, hugging the children at the community centre, a charity event that was intended to inspire the children of poverty away from crime and towards a better future. She was a strong woman, his mother, and a good, gentle person that saw that same good in almost everything. _

_He was perhaps only ten years-old. After Mrs Luthor's speech and signing for the cheque to open up an educational centre for the lower, poverty-stricken districts, she took some more questions. She told them that the program would help allow kids to enter into government schools in the Financial District or any prestigious schools across the States._

_Some questions from the adults that weren't parents had been about her husband's company or dissuading any questioning about Luthor Corp's alleged supplying of funds to Columbian Drug Cartels._

_The people that lived in the district loved his mother, Metropolis called her strong, a strong woman, they said. But now, a few hours after the party, the two made their way to the car parked at the back. She did not want to draw too much attention to herself so she took her Honda instead._

'_Look who it is,' out of the shadows came three distinct men in black hoodies. 'Mrs Lex Luthor.'_

_Mrs Luthor held her son's hand tight and tried to pull him behind her. 'I don't know what you gentlemen want, but my husband could—'_

'_Oh, we're well aware of what Lionel Luthor is capable of.' He gestured to the streets. The dark and decaying lower streets of Metropolis. 'We're reminded of that every fucking day.'_

_Another came up to her right hand side, hands crossed, the slight shape of a hand gun in his pocket. 'You people make us. Take everything away and then force us to buy them back!'_

'_Please,' she pressed, 'what do you want?' She then sifted through her bag and produced her purse. 'I'll give you everything—'_

'_We want your family out of this city,' said a blonde man, holding a gun at the ready. Luthor could see from the way he held it and even his stance, the slight straightening of his back, a creasing around his belt where he would place his badge…he was law-enforcement._

_She tried to plead to their good nature, trying to calm them down. 'Please, gentlemen, think about this for a moment. Don't do anything rash. Don't do anything that you might regret.'_

'_I don't know, Anthony,' said one of the men, black haired, looking at one of his comrades. 'I believe I might actually sleep better tonight.' He made to grab the boy and a short struggle ensued as Mrs Luthor tried to fend him away from her son. Short as it was stopped when the blonde came in and drove a three inch blade into her stomach. _

_It appeared that even the other thugs were taken off guard by this and backed away. 'Fuck, Toby!' cried one._

'_Fuck are you doing?!' shouted another._

_Then, as he stared into Lex's mother's horror stricken eyes, he began to continuously stab her. Lex felt like air was being sucked out of him as he watched the event unfold. His heart felt every strike with fresh pain and took a few steps backwards. _

_The man then threw her onto the ground and disappeared with his other compatriots. Lex however, walked to his dying mother. He stood over her, hearing her rapid and laboured breathing. His eyes were drowning as he looked down upon her. He felt weak in the knees but did not want to fall down in fear of never getting back up. _

_She held up her hand to him and he took it, tremblingly. Then it was over. He felt gravity pulling her lifeless hand down but Lex kept his grasp. _

_At first, Lex was saddened. He was devastated, but then it grew. He began to rock in fury and rage. The ten year-old roared out into the dark. In the alley, even they heard it, his pain and they each felt something in the pits of their stomach. Fear… _

**-=O=-**

They used to make fun of him for his demeanour, even at age ten after his mother died. The Grey and The Bold, they called him. He never cared what they said, even the teachers when they ordered him to do something, he'd just ignore, cunningly placate them, or downright insult them with his own advanced intelligence…at age ten.

Once a teacher had berated him about his arrogance, accusing his confidence as false intelligence, and Lex, managed to break his arm over his desk. He was about to be suspended but in a room with a very angry Lex Luthor had changed the Dean's mind. A clue was that in involved financial records and blackmail.

Pain had done many things to him.

'You know what you're problem is, Mr Luthor,' Don Maroni started to jeer. 'Even after all of these things you've built, you are still quite weak. You don't have the stomach to do what is necessary, paisano.'

Luthor scowled as he typed. He was currently working sixteen different computers, accessing all of his files, opening every keyhole necessary to transferring power. His Guardians answered to him and him alone…that was what they did now. And now these Italian gangsters wanted that power.

_Oh these imbeciles_. A slight, wavering grin appeared on Lex's face. _Complete imbeciles_.

In the background, Mercy's struggling grunts as Sal Maroni's henchmen began groping her through her suit. She simply made noises and moved around on the floor slightly but nothing else, even her face showed little change.

'Are we nearly done here, signore?' asked Riario, one of the bigger men there started savagely holding her left breast. 'This puttana is getting restless—'

'I wouldn't antagonise her any further, my friend.'

Maroni continued to laugh at his expense, holding the gun even closer to his bald head. 'My nephew once had the Wayne's gunned down once they annoyed him even slightly. He did it when he was ten years old. The others, other crime-lords around the States are right, Mr Luthor— you will not survive in their world.'

_Imbeciles…_

These people have festered in his back for years. Keeping his power in Gotham at a minimum which then allowed for the recent return of power to the Wayne family, especially with the emergence of a shadowy vigilante taking on the smuggling rings and criminal clans all across the city, he could see why Maroni seemed desperate.

'I'm almost done, Maroni.'

The Italian was very pleased. 'Molto bene, I've always wanted a robot. Soon I'll have…what, a thousand?'

Obviously he's referring to the network of Guardians already spread across the world, and now with the Eye project he had installed a few hours earlier…they all responded to his will.

Yes…he was in command here. He will always have control. His eyes sought out Mercy. She was in an uncomfortable position with the gangsters, but that cold metal look in her eyes reaffirmed for him she was ready. She bobbed her head at him.

They did not think that he could survive in their dark world? He grinned. _I'll show you how savage I can be…_

To the Italians, it happened like lightning, quicker even. She shot up from the ground, snatched Riario's gun and shot the other two men. Sal was shocked, backing away from Luthor, his gun now pointed at his assistant. 'What the fuck, Luthor!'

Jerry took his gun out and was about to shoot at her before her leg wrapped around his gun arm, and her muscles…she looked frail, weak sometimes, but she flexed her leg muscles and… 'Aargh!'

Jerry fell to the floor, his arm was dislocated in three areas—the shoulder, the elbow, the wrist.

Next was Riario. Now disarmed, he attempted to fight her off. Martial-art was his forte and he was doing fine. She was reduced to only blocking his strikes. He was more than fine. In his youth, Riario trained in five forms of martial-arts in the Himalayan Mountains under Ras al—

AAUGH!

Mercy dodged a strike, grabbed his hand, and twisted it on her way to his other side where he then elbowed him in the neck, forcing him to his knees as she was.

Now helpless, Riario found his vision blackened. Mercy held his eyes shut with her thumbs, standing in wait for her boss.

Sal looked to Luthor as well, his gun still trained on the young and vicious woman in front of them. 'What the fuck. Luthor, tell your little bitch to stand down.'

This time it was Luthor's turn to chuckle. 'You know, I like people like you, Don Maroni.' He pressed one last button and the entire room lit up. His Guardians stood tall, words all annotated around it, including a symbol of a robotic eye. 'A puppet on a string in need of a master,' he pointed at his construct which multiplied into rows and columns of them under the eye which grew larger as the robots shrunk. Lines then began to connect them all to that eye. 'This is the Eye. It gives me access to the robots on an atomic level. I will control every one of them, know everything they see or feel or hear or know.'

Then the diagram grew to include computers, TVs, radios, laptops, iPhones, iPads, smartphones, and anything that emitted a signalled pulse and able to take in information surrounded the Eye and the robots. 'What the fuck is this, Maroni?'

'You said that I would not survive in your world, Maroni.' He pointed again to his robots. 'You are right, I won't survive it. I will rule it,' his voice was so firm, emanating of power. 'Let me explain this. My robots, they can go around the world, anything within a thousand yards of any device, government or not, I will have full access to.'

'Yeah, and what the fuck does that have to do with me?' the agitated Italian tiptoed. 'Why are you telling me all this,' he asked but was afraid to hear the answer.

Luthor held his smile and looked to Mercy.

Riario was now on the verge of tears, pleading for mercy…a concept her namesake was clearly missing. When she saw Luthor nodding at her, she looked down at her victim with a wide smile. Riario then began to feel a lot of pressure around his eyes. He started to scream.

Maroni struggled to look, to keep his gun focussed on the woman but he found he could not push the trigger. 'Why are you telling me your scheme's Luthor. I said you were smart, remember.'

As Mercy continued to bury Riario's eyes deep within his skull, his hands flaying like a mad man's, Luthor prepared himself. 'I'm telling you this because now you have leverage against me.' The billionaire then pointed to Riario, still alive, lividly in pain…but not for long. 'Now you will know I have a dagger, pressed against your back…and a couple more at your family's throats.'

Sal's eyes widened.

'Francesca, your wife…Sophia, your…nine year-old?'

Sal then sprang to Luthor, holding him by the collar. 'Sei un diavolo,' he hissed, his gun now on Luthor's head.

'Believe me, I've been called worse,' he responded plainly.

**-=O=-**

_He'd searched for them for months…well, two to be exact—the men that killed his mother. In his black limo, he crossed out the latest name, but there was one more on that list. He gestured to his driver, a strapping young man straight out of the military, United States Special Forces._

_They made their way up an apartment building in lower Metropolis. It was run-down, barely keeping together. Room 26 was his stop and he got his driver to kick down the door. _

_Tobias was the man, Tobias Fletcher, the man who stabbed his mother a total number of ten times. He was a former police officer, notice the Former. He was let go before Internal Affairs could be tipped to start investigations. His driver, Floyd, managed to land a punch on the man, straight in the stomach. _

_Next, his wife came out to see what the noise was. Floyd incapacitated her as well, then the son too._

_For the next four hours, it was nothing but brutal torture. Lex had his driver pull out the wife's finger nail as he made her husband and child watch helplessly…and Alexander found it all, the screams…relaxing?_

_Next it was the teeth…a real challenge. Lex knelt down to speak to Tobias, a ten year-old boy, and he saw the fear in the man's eyes, the man's tearful eyes. 'You are a monster,' he managed. They had all said that about him—the other men involved in his mother's death. Called him a monster as they watched their loved ones burn, or torn apart. _

_Lex stopped him there and had him listen closely. Mrs Fletcher's screams mixed in with her son's sobs, he asked how come through all of this screaming and noise— that not a soul had called the police or checked up on them. 'The answer is simple…I bought them,' he smiled excitedly. 'I bought it all, and in a few years…this city will be mine. Do you want to see it?'_

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**METROPOLIS CITY HALL**_

'Mr Luthor, they're waiting for you,' the young Ms Mercy Graves had informed him.

Luthor merely grunted softly, eyes not leaving his read of that day's Daily Planet paper. 'Did you know that Queen Tech has just gone public?' he reported to the austere young woman. 'Apparently Robert Queen and his family are declared dead at sea.' He sees Mercy's questioning look. 'You're probably wondering if I had anything to do with that.'

She shrugged, her face still quite plain, stern as she awaited his answer—if there was one. Ms Graves learnt a while ago that you never really can know how Lex Luthor operates. Thankfully she was learning.

'No, fortunately I do not have control of abnormal weather patterns.' He finally got up from his Italian leather seat…well it was the mayor's chair but who's paying attention to detail? 'Tragedy however, will not deter me from absorbing Queen Tech's shares.'

Without prompt, Mercy stood before Luthor, straightening his tie and fining his appearance while making sure he was ready for the masses. 'Now remember, just keep it short, talk about the project, the discovery of the metagene and what you're doing to combat the epidemic.'

'I should probably address the whereabouts of Superman. The fact that he's been assaulting our Israeli allies should show the world—'

'Are you alright, sir?' Mercy thought to ask a little bit concerned. 'You seem a little bit out of it?' she noticed his lack of focus, not a good sign for the man who controlled everything.

Luthor groaned in frustrated pain, pinching the bridge of his nose. 'I'm just a little bit tired.'

Exasperated, Mercy placed her hands on her hips. 'You've been up all night fitting the new system haven't you?'

'In fact I haven't slept at all since the unveiling of the Guardian project.' He sighed with a large grin and eyes looking to the heavens. 'I've never been so close before.'

'Ooookay…sir, do you want me to call this press off for now?'

Luthor did not seem to notice her worries at all. He seemed lost in his own world, twisted by something and it did start to scare her. 'Nonsense, I've never been better. The Eye project will give full control to me, and finally we shall have peace. It's a dream of mine, Mercy.' He looked out of the window, to his adoring fans. The mayor's window was a lot smaller than his, something he should get used to after a while. He hated small windows. He let out a breath of agitation, 'God bless America.'

**-=O=-**

It appeared to him that the world had stopped so suddenly. They had just seen a path to an uncertain future. Metahumans exploded on screen and the public responded just the way he'd expected. Not just uncertainty and fear, but finally…a shared mind. Whatever the world thought about this new form of human beings, it was far from a positive one.

He pressed a button on his watch and a holo-projector was turned on. There appeared an intangible three dimensional rendering of a man with his skeletal system plainly visible, that one adversary that unveiled Superman to Metropolis.

'I take it most of Metropolis is familiar with this specimen that is now widely known as Atomic Skull—a metahuman that caused more than eighty thousand dollars of property damage and the deaths of at least twenty people through immediate and painful radiation exposure.' The crowd had gone into gasps, watching a little video clip of Superman fighting off the Atomic Skull and the energy pulse that literally turned people into dust.

That look on each and every one of their faces put a subtle smile on Lex's face. One of the few occasions he felt it genuine and needed.

'As you can see, these people, these metahumans are an unpredictable sort, a sickness,' Lex stated to the masses. 'We've seen these powered beings destroy whole towns. Looking through old files I discovered their existence throughout history, altering paths, responsible for the most heinous of actions, abusing their superhuman powers to genocidal levels,' a picture of the swastika appeared behind him. 'It's strange to discover that humanity, mortal man has been in the hands of these…monsters. The wars they raised against each other at our expense. Like angry gods that see us as mere ants, pests to be rid of.'

The crowd erupted in heckling and angry roars.

'We've seen what these things can do and we know how vulnerable we stand…but with the Guardians standing watch, we will be protected, the world will be protected. The time of Olympus is over, now it's our turn.'

They all cheered for him, cheered for his ability to protect them. _Look at them, worshipping a new god, a practical god. One of theirs…and I will not fail my flock._

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

It was just gross, looking at the specimen in the tank. Lifeless yet had a face of familiarity about him that Lois could not place. Jimmy however, looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

'What the hell is that thing, Lois?!'

She kneeled down to examine some of the wiring that came loose at the foot. 'Jimmy, try being useful for once and search through the tables.'

'What am I looking for?'

Lois rolled her eyes lightly. 'I don't know, anything,' she groaned and continued to poke around the base. 'At this point everything in here is a bullet to Lex Luthor's head.'

Jimmy mumbled something to her, describing Luthor's bald head or rather. Every table was left a mess, dirt and scraps of rusted metal buried most of the paper, ruining the contents. The disks were not immune from them and had all been scratched, he doubted any device could ever read them anymore.

Then, he saw a small black device underneath a piece of burnt paper. 'It's a tape recorder.'

Lois perked up and sprinted to Jimmy. She asked him if it still worked.

'Looks a little beat up but I think I could get it to work.' He chuckled as he began to tamper with the old recorder. 'I haven't seen one of these since…well ever.'

The young man could feel her anxiety brewing beside him. 'That is so retro,' Lois remarked.

And then… '_Stark, my old friend, I'm leaving you this message on recording because it seems more secure. I called you yesterday because I need legal aid. You need to help me take down Lex Luthor._' This must be for that guy that Clark had fought to free. Christopher Stark, she believed his name was. According to Belle Reve, he committed suicide after killing his cellmate. They listened some more, '_I won't try to bore you with the complex science, the gist of it is that a colleague of mine, Dr Silas Stone and I have discovered a genetic mutation in certain people. It allows for the immergence of powerful beings with special abilities. I trust that soon they will be made public. They're called metahumans and so far, Lex has had them rounded up here at Cadmus and have…have begun to get us to experiment on them. He wants us to be able to duplicate the natural mutation process and inject it on normal human cells. Objective—biological warfare._

_The next few years will be vital, and I need to find a way to get Luthor out of the picture…just for a limited amount of time, enough time to suspend or successfully sabotage the project and I get to keep my head.'_

There was some rustling in the background.

'_Oh crud…'_ they were startled when a metallic bang echoed behind them followed shortly by a series of footsteps.

'Time's up, Olsen,' she snatched Jimmy's camera and began snapping at every weird thing she saw. She then told Jimmy to take the recorder and a couple more files from the table and stuff them in his bag. The place was supposed to be closed off but at the same time, she knew that an irradiated site was bullshit. 'We've got to leave. Now,' and she dragged Jimmy out of the lab without another word. There were people there with them and seeing as only other person knew about this was her and _Smallville_, she was certain that those others were probably LexCorp thugs.

Suddenly she missed the times where the only extremes she'd face were restraining orders.

She gave him back the camera and told him to wait for her to go first and grab whoever it was' attention for which was a signal for him to escape the premises and head home. 'When you hear gunshot, Jimmy— you run,' she instructed. 'You run home and wait until I pick you up directly. No phone calls, no proxies, you got that.'

All that Jimmy could honestly do was agree to her demands. There was a series of huge human-sized hole on the wall opposite the lab entrance and all the way outside. She took Jimmy there and told him to hide in a corner for her.

Down the hallway she moved and just as she expected, five LexCorp guards with the Company logo hats, had ran in and started firing at her. She ran down and round corners trying to outrun the men. She let no obstacle get in her way, relying on the parkour skills she acquired in France to her advantage. Leaping over tables or sliding below partially opened doors or kicking off the walls just as bullets hit behind her, and all without compromising the speed she was going.

When she ran into a corridor too long and straight to try and out run their bullets, she tried opening every door she passed to use as shields, buying her more time. She finally got back to where she started and saw that Jimmy was already trying to climb the wall outside of the complex.

Lois ran the other way. On the North side was a window that led directly into the moat. She could jump right into the water. Luckily for her, it was a long run up, giving her a chance for momentum. On her run, she encountered a guard appearing from the side, she didn't stop, tackled him to the ground, took his gun and shot at the window.

Now with the portal opened, she leapt out, arms outstretched as she dove into the murky moat water.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_** 'S OFFICE, LEXCORP**_

'Mr Luthor,' Brainiac began saying. 'It is time to reveal me,' he said it with a controlled zeal, controlled but quite obvious to the observant billionaire. 'It is time for humanity to evolve.'

**-=O=-**

**-=\S/=-**

**Author's Note: I know this chapter does seem a little bit dark. I really did try not to but I was on a roll when I started up Luthor's stories—you should have read it before. **

**When done right, I love Lex Luthor as a villain. I hate it when you put in too many layers to the character that he no longer feels like a villain, like when he led the Justice League—it didn't feel right, that was why Superman: The Animated Series' portrayal of Luthor was perfect, that and All-Star Superman as well. **


	25. A Legacy of Grey and Red

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**A LEGACY OF GREY AND RED**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**PENTAGON, Washington D.C**_

'We hope you will hold yourself accountable for—'

Lex chuckled dignifiedly. He stood in the centre of a black room with more than fifteen holographic silhouettes standing in a circle around him. 'Oh I will, right before I accept your offers of thanks, of course.'

They fell into surprised murmurs at their brother's brazen attitude. 'Do you honestly not see the direness of your actions?' said an elderly female figure.

'And what would these actions be that I must grovel at your feet for forgiveness.'

'You told the press about the Metahuman project,' said one of the figures. 'You gave them a name and an identity that they can rally towards. The plan was to sell them answers and use them as weapons against the populace not empower them with a sense or right to belong in society.'

The smirk that appeared on Luthor's face was quite menacing, even to the all-powerful Elite. 'Now, I painted a target on their backs, and I gave everyone else a loaded gun.' In his mind, Lex could see he'd lost more than half of them by now. 'You guys don't see? I have blurred out the grey area these freaks find solace in, their limbo between good and evil.' That surely got their attentions. 'I will give normal people a choice between their own kind and these Metahumans whom will then become persecuted, threatened. That is where we come in, offering support. They will help unconditionally.'

There was some silence as the Power Elite thought this through. Was it really such a difficult decision? In truth he did not need their help, but it was the status que that demanded it. They would be an overbearing menace, an annoying prick in his leg…no he needed a harp, a soothing song to clear his mind.

'My friends,' he played, 'you have put this trust in me, my abilities, my devotion to Order. I gave you metallic gods that fall at your feet, technology so advanced that the human race has been catapulted eighty years.'

'So what, do you want a medal, Mr Luthor?'

'Surely you know me better than that, senator,' though they were veiled, Luthor could recognise her voice instantly. 'You know my intentions, my plans for the world. You know that none of them will cost you a cent so you have nothing to fear from me.'

'Oh we have no quarrel with the advancements in technology you have provided,' she assured him. 'We just have problems with where you are getting this—'

'Same as everyone else, I learn.'

'And that is exactly the problem,' one of the hidden pointed out. 'What do we know of this teacher of yours, this Brainiac?'

'You say he is an alien, is he like Superman?'

'No, it's more complicated than that,' he assured them in a voice akin to pride and wonder. 'He's an advanced library in essence and he's shown me how we can save the world and ensure humanity's long reign.'

'Like that idea to harvest energy from the Earth's core?' Lex did not know who had said that but to him, all those silhouette figures sounded the same. They were a hive mind, all instinct and no intellect, which he guessed was why a Luthor was always welcomed in the Elite. 'As I have guessed (as stated by his scientists), the updraft of anything that deep could mess up the atmosphere.'

'Ah, that is why I have asked for a…a little demonstration,' Luthor said with a confident grin as four men entered the dark room. They each carried with them silver rifles that none of them have ever seen before. 'These are weapons I have developed once I started studying under Brainiac. He's shown me a refined way to manipulate atoms. However, I've been equipping my guards and around thirty percent of America's troops with this model so this is not the item in question…' He looked at his watch, a small button on the side and once he pushed it and indicated to his armed men.

An explosion of beautiful light dashed around the room and hit Lex straight in the head, but to their amazement, he stood there, the slight signature of colour around him, a shield?

'It's a field of negative charge that repels any positive energy.' He dismissed the guards to address the council again. 'This is only a sample of the things he could teach us. What else does he have, a cure for cancer, a way to repair the ozone—are you going to turn your back on that?'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**CENTRAL DATA NEXUS**_

**CLASSIFIED…**

They broke into the secured facility and started storming every room, only to find them empty. The data hub was the heart of the Central Nexus, where unrefined and uncensored data is received and often times decoded. It's also where heavy electromagnetic activity often spikes.

The doors were automatic reinforced Promethean Steel, one of the strongest and most durable metals currently known to man, so it took them a while to break through. When they finally pierced through, what awaited them was utter carnage, or at least the aftermath of such.

Luthor was advised against entering, but he would have none of it. This project was his investment and he was damned if he did not protect it. Fortunately however, not everyone was killed, but for everyone else?

Inside there were bodies, all of the ground along with the stench of rot and burnt flesh. 'What the hell happened here?'

Luthor looked annoyed at the overweight Warden fresh from releasing the content of his stomach in disgust. 'It appears you have a security problem, Dr Fairchild, you better look into that.'

'This entire complex is protected by twenty-four hour surveillance, motion detectors and—'

'These people were killed by intense heat which burnt through their bodies,' Ms Graves observed. 'They died in agony…a lot of agony. Do you think it's him?'

'Good eye, Ms Graves but no, it isn't Superman's style.' Luthor walked over to the access portals. The young man at the computer was dead in pretty much the same fashion as the others. He crouched down, taking a focused look at the body—one of the first ones to die. 'What were you looking for, mentor?'

Mercy joined him, examining the wounds, '_Brainiac?_'

Luthor gave a nod and stood up again. With a glance at the computer, a holographic-screen appeared. 'Access point _lim factor x equal two plus one over x equated difference_,' the computer had shifted just as he spoke, working at a level beyond any normal system. A subtle smirk appeared on the intrigued billionaire. Other than a few quadrillion terabytes of data surrounding history, science etc, was some sort of indication towards something…an equation of great intrigue. Mathematical and historical sources suggested ways to identify the components, to harvest and possible applications. What intrigued Luthor most was that Brainiac had not knocked that wall, possible locations of the equated sequence. Why?

In fact, Brainiac was close, a few more trails and he would have…wait, his path alternated to Superman…

'Alright, Ms Graves, we're leaving.' He moved towards the door despite protests from Fairchild regarding his next moves with the Nexus. Luthor ignored him, simply answering with, 'We're done here.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**LOIS LANE'S APPARTMENT**_

Jimmy looked on at the legendary journalist at work. But she had abandoned her laptop in favour of the classical pen and paper. 'Okay, how are the photos?' Lois asked.

'They're done, Ms Lane, just waiting for the next step.'

Lois leaned in closer to her work, critiquing her own work. 'Now we wait for the signal.'

She smiled, her hard work needed to pay off in the long run and she only hoped that it would be enough. She knew Kent was a rather secretive fellow, what with the record he had while employed at that sinking ship The Daily Star. It was probably how he got all of this data, and it intrigued her, knowing the truth now, that he could get his hands on more than thirty years of dirt on Lex Luthor to throw him in jail for a very long time.

Jimmy turned the TV on to kick back and relax. The program was on Picture News and it was an event on the metahuman crisis on the horizon or so Dr Alex Fairchild had prophesised with the growing tension arising in the Near-East after the first metahuman incident had the Israeli government order a further ten Guardians from LexCorp which has been clarified will not add to the Nation State's debt count.

A couple more of them super powered beings had caused some commotion at the White House in Washington D.C. and was speculated to have been in response to the escalating issue in Israel. As a result, more than eighty-one homes were raided by guardians all across America and rounding up a lot more for further study at the newly repurposed Belle Reve.

'That's just wack,' Olsen declared, glugging his can of soda. 'I thought Superman would be the last of them aliens.'

Lois shook her head in disagreement. She looked at the people on the screen, being dragged out of their houses, some had just discovered their abilities, scared and confused but she noticed every corner of the media was focused on what they could do. 'They aren't aliens, Jimmy.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

A bright and unending landscape, empty yet filled with infinite potential. Ripe with the character of its contents that creates skyscrapers and intricate streets…seemingly sentient people even.

The dark horizon of beeping blue and black, offered a claustrophobic view of this world. So many stories, so many possibilities in their fingertips and they don't use it. Brainiac stood within the city, looking up at the magnificent structures that surrounded him.

He smirked satisfyingly at his work, manipulating the data to emulate cities, to emulate life.

The space between spaces of cybernetic movement—that was his kingdom, a place of power and knowledge is power. As he walked, he shaped the way the world worked, the way it existed. If that was not godly, then what was?

This plain of existence had been lain upon the spectrum of invisibility since the very start—as old as the oceans, as old as time itself and capable of so much more than transfer of languages.

He was actually quite impressed regardless. These humans have tapped into a realm they did not even know they created, at least not in the way he sees it now. Organised and united, speaking a single language…light. He liked that—the truth behind the light, a language of transcendence unbound by human limitations.

Here upon this Earth, he feels its power like an eternal waterfall upon him.

The very nature of the human race has always been to move forward. Why? Survival.

Human insufficiency has been the driving force of progress since the dawn of humankind. They know they will die on their own when faced with a stronger and more savage species so they created civilizations. Their bodies are outmoded so they invent devices to make their lives easier. Their system cannot fight sickness so they created the method of medicine—and death? They fear it, so they create children to replace them, a legacy to represent them.

Frankly, Brainiac was beginning to tire of this planet. It was primitive, ill-suited for his operations yet despite all of this, Earth seemed to have one advantage, the universe had decided that it would become a magnet of forces that its inhabitants could never fathom.

_So where is it? _

_It's here, I can feel it. Jor-El was the last keeper, he had to have hidden it on the craft!_

Brainiac slowly raised his hands and began to ascend into the digital skies, busy with activity. Because of his previous access to the Nexus, he now had dominion of these plains. All of Earth's knowledge he could access, even those not in the digital form.

_So where is it?_

Then… there was a disturbance and as quickly as he entered, he was out again. He found himself in an empty warehouse, on the wall in front of him was painted the LexCorp logo, but there was something else, not painted, not anything physical, but vibrant.

'An energy source,' Brainiac concluded and a mightily powerful one at that. But beyond that he realised that it was a familiar sense. 'A Coluan battery…'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

In the grand tower that lay in the Metropolitan centre, Lex had his entire floor closed off for a few hours. In the middle of the room was a tiny box with white light coming from the top. To anyone else it would look like he was doing nothing but sitting at his desk, head to the box and motionless, but in Luthor's mind was going a thousand miles a minute.

_In today's lesson we will strip down the atom into its very basic form and thus we will find a common truth. _

_The theme here is to determine the purpose to which matter exists in the cosmos to begin with. If we look deep we find that the universe feeds on itself. Every organism feeds on another but to determine where it all began even before the structural explosion event is a difficult process, a near impossibility. _

_Brainiac sequence eight…__**N=R . fp . ne . fe . fi . fc . L**_

_We find an abundance of life in the cosmos which feeds the universe. The number of civilizations in one galaxy is found in the average rate a star is formed in said galaxy. The fraction of those stars that themselves have planets, the number of planets that can support life, then the fraction of those that actually do. Whereas then factor into account the fraction of suitable planets with life that can develop intelligent life…fraction of civilization that develop sign emitting technology…_

A devilish grin proudly made an appearance. 'I see it now,' he murmured, as he would always do at the end of every lesson. 'I see it all…'

_A vital entity that exists in the universe is chaos. A power that existed from the very beginning, that gave its hand to the creation of reality and the possibilities of quantum reality. _

'The trick is not to control it…but to unleash it where it can be of use…'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

She wasn't oblivious to their great power. The Luthors had a glorious legacy that was always in one form or another, embedded in power and authority. When Lois moved to the city, it was in full knowledge that there was a social hierarchy that dominated it.

The Luthors were ruthless. It was like Frank Underwood from House of Cards, only worse and an entire family tree's worth.

She wondered once why with the reputation of truth even in the most dim and murky of deception found in the world, The Daily Planet could see through them—that any of the Luthors would have landed in prison by now, Stryker's Island.

Her first day of the job was as she pictured it, but it was when she pushed passed her accessibility and discovered that the current Luthor, Lex, had developed some very disturbing methods of killing terrorists. Sadly it did not make any consideration to the innocents surrounding them.

An entire town was destroyed and she saw it all. But when she wrote the article she was asked to turn her phrasing a little. It took several shots but they soon became satisfied with her work and placed it in the newspapers. It made the damage seem small, it painted LexCorp as heroes for developing a chemical based weapon that was designed to vaporise the enemy's water supply.

What it did was vaporise all forms of water everywhere…including the human body.

What was even worse was that now that she had access to the type of research that Clark Kent aka Superman had done, Lex Luthor had himself given weapons to those terrorists in Bialya. Now with the President's permission, he's issued at least one of those microwave emitters for a military compound in foreign countries.

But the United States were happy, they were safe and it was all because of Lex Luthor. She would seriously be fighting a losing war. Yet it appears that Kent's doing the same thing and the Luthor legacy is not to be trifled with.

She chuckled at her own butterflies fluttering around in her stomach and the red threatening her cheeks. Lois knew there was always more to Clark Kent than some simple farm boy. But why would he be hiding out at some farm for? _He's much too important for that_.

'Okay, Jimmy, I'm off,' she called from the kitchen.

'Where are you going?'

Lois grabbed her bag and a thumb drive marked C.K from the table. 'I'm going to pitch a sample of this to Perry. I've got to approach this discretely and if he bites, we go on from there.'

'Okay…I'll have to stay back and see if I can't get more stuff,' the young man declared.

Lois nodded but cautioned him not to dig too deeply. 'Now that we've infiltrated Cadmus, I suspect LexCorp would be sweeping the systems. Be careful, Olsen.'

'Will do, Ms Lane.

**-=O=-**

**-=**_**L**_**=-**

**Author's Note: Like I said, I find it difficult sometimes to write Lex Luthor. He's a complex character when done correctly and sometimes I fear I'm not doing him justice. **

**Random thought, I believe strongly that power resides often in knowledge, what put this in my head is an episode of Game of Thrones when Littlefinger tells Cercie Lannister that knowledge is power and she says power is power. No, knowledge is power but Baelish lost that power by simply telling her about it.**

**Okay…rant over. Anyhow, Like I said, Lex Luthor is a rather difficult man to completely right and I'm afraid I hadn't gotten all of him down here. I just had trouble not at getting in his head but staying in it. You get certain flashes and instances of brilliance that might mirror Luthor but its fleeting. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it and if you guys have any suggestions about Lex Luthor I'd love to hear it.**


	26. Welcome Home

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**WELCOME HOME**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**SMALLVILLE, KANSAS**_

In the summer light of the auburn sun, the fields of golden corn had become ripe for harvest. Clark watched from the passenger window of the truck, a carpet of gold over the landscape, one he used to sweep across with his hand as a child, pretending to fly. It had been years since he'd last seen those fields and now he felt guilt in not making any attempt to return a lot sooner.

He motioned for the driver to stop at a dirt track off the tar road that led to a farm. At the front was a mail box with the name Kent. Clark leapt off the truck, thanked the driver with payment and walked up the driveway.

People relate Holy Sites with a divine, uplifting feeling within one's body—a light weight feeling in his very blood streams. He feels it, looking at the open fields around him, protected by a ten feet high forest of corn stalks.

This was his Jerusalem, his temple, a holy shrine to the soul of Clark Kent. He let the soothing breeze kiss his cheeks.

Martha smiled when she looked down at her handiwork. The flowers were bright, alive, and they reminded her of those days away from sombre. She was brought back by her dog baking and sprinting away from his favourite spot on the porch. She looked where Shelby was running off to, and where had brought a wide grin on her face.

'Well look at you,' she exclaimed as her son walked up the dirt road to the farm. He kneeled down to take Shelby into his arms in a long awaited hug.

His strapping young son, now an adult, walked up to her, familiar blue T-shirt and red pleaded open shirt made her smile even more. Mother and son hugged for a moment more and walked each other to the house. She hadn't much changed all those years before he left for Metropolis and began work at the Star. Sure he could see much more silver on her hair. 'How has it been here, ma?'

'It's been slow, quiet. In fact without the other workers around the area I'd probably only ever hear soap operas on the television.' She crowed slightly, wrapping her arms around his, 'It's been quiet here without you or your father. It's never been the same.'

Clark looked at his mother sympathetically, and sighed.

'Anyway…' Martha took a deep breath in, dismissing her own troubles. 'How have you been? I followed your coverage on the news. I saw all the terrible things they did to you. Are you okay, Clark?'

'Its…I mean they've…' He releases an exasperated breath. 'When I started this, I had nothing to go on, Ma. There was so much I didn't know and I thought perhaps I was going too slowly. Working in the shadows was frustrating.'

Clark would never know how his mother already knew this. That really was not Clark's style, as much as he was always reserved and secretive, hiding was never his style, and he was a terrible liar.

'But then I was out there, everyone saw me, saw what I could do and it was all great…until they found out I'm…'

'Not human?'

He nodded. 'Not one of them. I mean, with Lana and everyone else in Smallville, I took my time. A small town with a small population, word would have gotten out eventually. Maybe I was rushing it with Metropolis. Maybe dad was right and the world was not ready for me?'

Again, Martha understood him, she couldn't get it fully, but she knew her son. She knew the boy she raised. They walked up to the house and sat down on the steps, just watching the setting sun paint the horizon in orange. She started to giggle, a grin playing her face. He asked her about it and she just grew more amused. 'You know I used to sit by your bed, listening to you breathe. You used to struggle, like air was being sucked out of your lungs. It was horrible, but the doctors from Metropolis helped, they said you were just—'

'Adapting,' Clark intercepted her. 'I know, Ma.'

'…but I was afraid, Clark,' she continued. 'I was afraid that they wouldn't understand, that they'd take you away from me and your father was prepared to fight every single one of them if they tried.' She stopped only to chuckle at herself, realising it sounded a tad selfish and she'd voiced it. 'I mean…they just discovered the existence of life out of this planet. Those scientists—I thought that man from S.T.A.R Labs would take you and experiment on you. Your father and I feared this, I mean…you just a baby.'

Then her face looked up to the skies. A look of wonder and adoration to an image she had seen and tears began to appear, glossing her eyes.

'Then I saw you there in the skies, saving people, protecting them…you were like a guardian angel and I was so proud of you, son.' She hugged him tightly as if she feared he'd die without it. 'But then you left, son. I watched it on The Daily Planet News channel, and I'm not complaining about a long awaited visit from my son, but there's something else. What happened?'

He really had nothing he could say. Reflecting on that decision it felt more like he made it on a whim, that he was weak. 'I had to go, Ma. I wasn't ready for…for all of this. I went in guns blazing without any control of my own body. It was dangerous, not for me but for everyone else. I knew absolutely nothing about myself, about what I was capable of. But I…' A huge smile had popped up on him. 'I found them, Ma. I found my parents, I found where I came from. I've been learning with them, learning how I could better use my abilities.'

Martha covered her mouth to control her shock and excitement. 'Oh, sweetheart, that's wonderful news.' There was a shimmer in her eyes yet something told Clark that there was something troubling her.

He sighed, 'Ma, what?'

Martha retracted, 'Oh, no, it's nothing, it's just…' she was starting to cry into her hands and Clark drew her into his chest. 'I've always feared that we'd…that we wouldn't be enough for you anymore. The world is already big enough to get lost in…you have the entire universe in your grasp.'

'Ma, it's alright,' he soothed, rubbing her arm gently. 'I'm not going anywhere, I promise.'

'That's good,' Clark looked behind them and was delightedly surprised to see Lana standing at the door with her hands crossed over her chest, leaning against the post. 'I've just finished with the roast pig and it's on the table so dig in.'

Clark wasted no time in enveloping her into a warm hug, a tight hug years in the making. It seemed to both like centuries since last they made contact, a hello, or a hug…God did he miss her.

She seemed like she hadn't changed much, at least to his eyes. Obviously she'd grown older, a maturity about her that wasn't there last he saw her, and did she have larger muscles now? Lana was always a shifting tide, but when she found an outlet she dove headfirst.

When they last they spoke, he was just getting ready for Metropolis and Lana asked him for one last fly to the station. He had to explain again that it was more a leap. At the bus depot, he asked her where she was going and all he got was a smile, a light peck on the lips before she disappeared what seemed like forever.

Inside, as they ate they talked for what seemed like hours, so much to discuss that became even more animated when Pete Ross had walked through the front door with two bottles of white wine. Oh, it was even longer since he'd last seen Pete. Both Lana and he even expressed maximum shock when they spotted the golden band on his finger.

'Dude, you've gotta be kidding me!' Clark hyped. 'You got married…to whom…when?'

The tall yellow haired man shrugged, about to take a seat when the doors opened again and in came a quite familiar face. The woman greeted them and planted a chaste kiss on Pete's forehead.

'Wow, Susanne Parker?'

The woman smiled warmly as she came in to hug them both. 'It's Ross now, and it's good to see you too, Clark. Wow, what happened to that bumbling nerd?'

Lana and Pete sniggered at Clark, now turning slightly pink. As she took a seat at the dinner table next to her husband, Clark took out another two bottles of _Heineken_ beer from the fridge and handed them to the couple. Pete accepted it but Susanne had to decline.

She was a rather tall woman, much taller than Pete anyway, with bright yellow hair, slender build and full lips, Clark remembered her and if memory served him right, the former Smallville Crows cheerleader had not changed a bit.

'Sorry but I've got a babysitter for the twins and little Jerry's with his grandparent's so I'll have to be as sober as I can be,' she informed.

If Clark's mouth could drop any lower, it'd scare people. They were parents? His best friend, golden headed lady's man Peter Joseph Ross, the guy with a new woman every other day…was a father? His befuddlement was not unnoticed by Pete who mirthfully told him to 'Shut up'.

Again, Lana could not help but laugh herself. She moved behind Pete to ruffle his hair but as she went back to her seat, she let her hands rest on Clark's shoulders and for a brief moment, they both felt something, a stir that had been extinguished years ago.

All too soon, she took her touch away and sat herself down. 'So what time is curfew?' she asked.

Both Pete and wife groaned and comically stated in unison, 'Eight!'

Completely tease-worthy, Clark made a mental note to use it in the near future but still the reality took him. Had he really missed out on everything? He'd missed his best friend's wedding, the birthing of his children and possibly a tonne of other things that he had not been informed of. They ate and talked some more, catching up on the recent happenings in and around Smallville.

'So, remember Chloe Sullivan?' Pete started. 'She moved to Central City last year, apparently she's gotten a job at Picture News there.'

'I think it's as an assistant job?'

'Ooh, what about AJ,'

Lana furrowed. 'What did he leave too?'

'Nah, he runs the H.I.V.E. facility in the western banks,' Susanne informed them, 'He jumped at the opportunity to stay in Smallville.'

'He isn't that bad, Susie,' Clark's mother defended. 'People are attracted to what seems familiar to them. Andrew Johnson finds Smallville alluring and I honestly don't blame him. I was attracted to Smallville, strange for a city girl like me.'

'Was it really Smallville?' Lana winked.

Martha kept her head up, playfully playing the hurt party.

**-=O=-**

As the night went on, Susie decided to relieve her babysitter and allow her husband some valuable catching up time. Soon even Mrs Kent had called it a day and retired upstairs to her room. So Clark, Lana and Pete were left in the living room, each with a beer in their hand and the TV on some old Cartoon Network re-runs.

'So…anything happen to you guys when you were away?'

Clark looked at Lana, both sharing the same knowing look. Boy did they have a story to tell him.

'So, I know it's really sucky for me to ask but what happened?' They looked at Pete, seated cosily in the chair closest to the TV. 'Why'd you come back now? There has to be a reason.'

Clark nodded, and paused, his eyes zoning out…or focussing closer on a thought. They'd turned the lights off so the TV was the only thing illuminating the room, they couldn't see that clearly but they could tell there was a troubled look on Clark. 'I've been through a lot, on my travels, I've seen loads, but only recently I encountered those Guardians from Lex Luthor.'

'Yeah, I know them,' said Pete. 'Have one at County. On my last visit to Coast City I saw like dozens zooming around in the sky. Pretty impressive if you ask me.'

'Then there was that incident in the Middle-east with that meta-girl,' Lana piped in. 'I swear the governments just looking for more reasons to sow conflict.'

Valid points but Clark shook his head at them, 'It's not just that?' He started rubbing his chin, looking at the cartoons. 'I came across some of them at Tel Aviv, I actually went in to take that girl to safety. But when I came in it was like they were waiting for me. There's something bigger out there and it wants to change things on this planet and something tells me it's for the worse.'

Pete chuckled. 'What more than what you've already done?'

'Far more,' was his answer. This _Brainiac_…it scared him. An enemy that could touch him yet he could not even lay a finger on. 'I came here to watch and see if I'm right, and if I am, I won't sit by and let it.'

'I know Luthor is a bad guy but I don't think he's actually evil,' the red haired engineer furrowed. 'The guy's done a lot of good, Clark.'

He nodded but kept quiet. 'I'm not talking about Luthor.'

'You know I was actually contemplating relocating to Metropolis with the family,' Pete spoke with a close to sleepy voice. 'But after hearing your stories…I'll have to reconsider. That place is quite fucked up if you ask me.'

'It's not that bad, Pete.'

Pete looked incredulously at his good friend. 'Bro, you got your truck stolen like five minutes into your apartment,' he laughed.

'Alright, alright, point taken.'

They sat in silence for some time, just relishing in each other's company, beer in hand and the game on. It was like old times, like simpler times. No words said, none needed until…'Welcome home, Clark,' Pete sighed.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

He was searching…

That has always been his main directive…since the dawn of time it has been to search the far reaches of the cosmos, for a dark entity with value that surpasses heaven itself.

Brainiac's holographic construct walked luminously through the LexCorp Data Relay. Four floors of mechanical switches and computers of the most advanced technology that has even Brainiac quite impressed—_for a race as primitive as humanity_.

It was widely accepted that Lex Luthor controlled all of Metropolis, from this access point. There was information hidden in these machines that he could not find anywhere else on this planet…things he'd seen out there in the universe, but not this planet.

He had it all, Lex Luthor, the answers to the salvation of this planet, the salvation of the human race. _But he does not act upon them…quite intriguing_.

Information seemed to be drawn to him and data began to stream to him in rivers and rivers. Just when he thought that Earth was worthless, it so happened, that one of them thought a step towards how he did.

It took some time, some searching, digging and solving riddles but finally he was almost there. He could feel it around him, a pulse of dark energy veiled by so many pointless data. If Lex Luthor had it in his possession then the human race had a weapon that could have ended war forever…if only they knew how to read it, how to use it.

Of course…they were fragmented across the board, assembled into Lex's super computer mainframe in disguise. Now he did find it odd that they were all in that one field of…

'No,' Brainiac's eyes widened in sincere shock, 'No…no, no, no, NO!' It wasn't it…or perhaps it was but under a frequency that he could not interact with. 'What is this?!' He roared as he tried again to access the pieces but they soon began to dissolve, replaced by new lines of code. 'No!'

He detached himself from the server, clearly shaken and pacing round erratically. He roared and sent various parts of the computers smashing into one another.

'It was right there!' he screeched. A couple of guards came in, elite men trusted by Luthor in a sense…they knew of the data construct but that did not matter to him. In a fit of anger his psionic arms grabbed hold of the guards an in a flash…they burst into dust.

'It was there, he promised!'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**SMALLVILLE**_

It felt like old times, thought Clark, sitting in a booth with two of his oldest friends, drinking a variety of favourite coffee as they talked about whatever random topic that sprouted from their heads. Pete had started talking about his "big break" in Star City.

'No you didn't,' Lana rebutted.

'No, I swear to God,' the gold headed man insisted. 'I was on the subway at Star City and there he was, standing next to me, we started talking and he offered me a job. I swear to you, Oliver Queen just offered me a job!'

Lana and Clark exchanged funny looks in clear mockery of their dear friend. 'You know Oliver Queen doesn't actually run Queen Consolidated, Robert Queen's still in charge.'

'Plus, Oliver Queen isn't really a businessy sort of guy,' Lana added.

Pete suspired in defeat. 'Yeah, alright, shut up.' Pete took another sip of coffee before trying to turn attention to his smug looking friend next to him. 'So, Clark what happened to that chick you were dating, Heather wasn't it?'

Lana's eyes grew larger at this information like revelation. Shy and antisocial Clark Kent had a girlfriend and she didn't know about it?!

But by the blue eyes that suddenly turned dark, she knew that it wasn't a happy ending tale.

'It didn't really work out between us.'

'You tell her about your powers?'

Clark nodded. 'I mean…we were dating so she would have found out eventually… What?' He stopped when he spotted Lana looking at him as if she'd just found out he was Superman again.

'Nothing, it's just…wow, you actually dated…wait…_Heather_ as in Heather Kelley from Daily Planet News?' Both Clark and Pete nodded while Lana just looked at this strangely different person in front of her. 'I've gotta admit, she's pretty hot.'

Again the two men nodded exasperatedly. 'So what happened?' Pete thought to ask.

Clark shrugged. He sometimes asked himself that. Why did she leave him? Perhaps it was too soon for him to just expect her to wait for him. After all, he was an alien that apparently had an armada bent on the domination of Earth. 'I don't know…It's complicated.'

'Women often are, but my guess is, she just wasn't ready for anything bigger than moving in,' their red-haired woman considered.

'Yeah, you read that in a manual for the mind process of women?' Pete quipped, earning a puncturing look from their hurt female friend.

'_I'm_ a girl, idiot.'

Both boys were having enough trouble biting back their laughter as it was. With Lana it was always easy to lighten up. 'So no more romance then?' she asked, nervously sliding some stray hair out of her face.

Clark considered his past experiences which were limited. After all the main objective if not a criterion was to maintain a low profile, but still, a little companionship wasn't bad and he did have Lea. 'I did meet this stunningly beautiful Greek woman once. Well I think she was Greek.'

'Did you bang her?' again, another ill-thought out sequence of words that earned Ross a deathly glare from Ms Lang.

'Remember that time when your dad took us to see _A Bug's Life_ in Metropolis,' Pete began to sigh, hoping to draw attention away from him. 'We all left him to watch that and snuck into _Mask of Zorro_ instead then ran around the richer parts till five pm.'

The trio began to laugh. It really was like old times. 'Oh man, Pa didn't let us leave the farmlands for weeks.'

'Well we did nearly get rolled by those Intergang guys,' Lana reminded them. 'You've gotta admit, when it came to us, no one could mess with your dad.'

They immediately sobered up a little at the memory which by this point shouldn't give such a morbid feeling to them, but then again, this was Jonathan Kent they were talking about. The café was rather busy that day, Clark realised. Back when he was a kid, the Talon Café was popular, but looking at all of his old schoolmates, surrounded by little versions of them, it really did feel different.

He wondered if Lana felt the same. Between the three, only Pete had decided to stay in Smallville, looking after his own farm, now that he also had his own family too, he really seemed like he had everything.

Clark caught the gaze of a man at the front, who had been talking to one of the barristers. He smiled at Brad Fordham before bobbing his head at him. Fordham took his tray of coffee to his wife, standing by the door with two sons, and then they were gone again. 'Wow, things have changed a lot haven't they?'

'I know,' said Lana. 'Though I do still come by my mother's place from time to time, unlike you, Laser-brain,' she cooed, ruffling Clark's hair and messing with his glasses, '…I still get surprised by how much this place has changed. It's a good change I think.'

Pete agreed, grinning. 'Yeah…who'd have thought that out of the three of us badasses, that I would be the first one to settle down.'

Again a fake expression of shock played Lana's features, all in good jest as she expressed her own surprise that a playboy like Pete Ross would have a wife. Strange also that he also had three kids and what would be to her a quite normal life so early on in his bachelor's life.

'How about you, Lana,' Clark began asking. 'Meet anyone on your soul search?'

'Hay, I was working, looking for engineer work is difficult, if anyone was soul-searching it's you, Clark.'

Pete looked at her with a brow raised slightly. 'Wait, weren't you like some sort of model in New York?'

Clark suddenly looked to Lana with a completely different light. 'Wow, you were a model?'

'Yeah, she was even featured on _Maxim_ and was it _Elle_?'

'Jesus, Pete, stop stalking me!'

Ross rolled his eyes and asked the waiter for a Crème Brule frape.

Clark would have asked for the same but then he felt the ground grumble beneath him a few moments before the shockwave hit the store and everything was knocked down.

They looked outside, people running to the right, away from something. Using his x-ray vision he sees the problem. Two…LexCorp Guardians just like before, only they looked bigger and more buff.

'Are you going to handle this?' Lana proposed.

He looked around him where everyone had gone to the windows to see. He gave an affirming nod and dashed to an old retro phone booth (He was surprised they hadn't gotten rid of that yet). He went in, took off his spectacles and ripped off his plaid shirt off of their buttons. His shield reacted to his psyche and he was instantly covered in the armour once again.

The computer in his visor started up where it began to pick up hostile signals and he dashed out of the café where outside, two titans marched through the open town. The local authorities had come in to try and solve the problem.

Two officers came to meet the giants with another two for back-up. They tried first to talk, stating that there was no 911 call for them or that they were not notified beforehand—they did not respond. The guardians continued to march on but when the police pressed them, trying the authoritative commands that Luthor had said would have them on stand-by but in their ultimate disregard for human lives, kicked officer Fred O'Connell over thirty metres.

'Fred!' one of the officers cried out and that was when all hell broke loose and they fired their guns, not that it was of any use. The bullets ricocheted off of their metal chests, sending them back against the people of Smallville. Everyone braced themselves behind their hands. One cop looked out but then found himself being held off the ground by a guardian.

'…_Metahuman…negative…_' it grumble, holding the scared man to its lifeless stare. '_…metagene detected_.'

The robotic giant was about to pummel the officer into the ground when a strong voice boomed in and every head turned to the skies and slowly floating down from the blinding sun—Superman. 'That's enough!'

Officer Fred was with him, an arm hanging around the alien's neck and looking quite dazed.

'_Kryptonian…Directive Alpha initiated_.' It dropped the man whom Superman next instructed to get more people out of the town.

Upon touchdown, Superman told Fred to do the same and evacuated as many people as possible. 'Everybody get in doors and underground or as far away from town as you possibly could!'

At first the civilians did nothing. After all, this was a different Superman than the jacket wearing one from Metropolis. This one, covered in all this tech and face hidden away by a helmet was all but a stranger to them— but alas it took little effort for them to get the gist and scram—this was about to get messy.

Clark went into stance, hands balled in strong fists readily in front of him.

Lasers started shooting out of their eyes but Clark dodged them with ease. He moved around with lightning speed, evading more lasers, then punches where he was able to punch the arm of one of the guardians, then another one, shattered head and then another one.

Eventually his luck ran out and one caught him by the neck. They shot Clark right into a service station which exploded into a riot of raging chaos. It hurt, no doubt about that, but all that he could feel was relief that there was no one within it. But he did not know how long he could count on mere luck. He needed to stop this fight now.

The Brainiac possessed guardian then pointed an open hand towards a nearby car and to Clark's amazement when he emerged from the fire, the car magically lifted into the air and sent it at him. He caught it but it also left him momentarily defenceless and the guardian puckered one hell of a punch, sending him into several other buildings.

The fight lasted a lot longer than he expected and soon the robots took to the skies. That was when he saw a particular object approaching in the distance. It was a surveillance drone, military, armed.

A guardian hovered down to meet the Kryptonian. Its eyes were glowing purple, furious though its face remained neutral. '_The game is over, Kal-El,_' it spoke with Brainiac's voice. '_That drone behind us has picked up the fight but it appears their picture is incomplete. They're here for you to answer for this destruction…_' He gestured to the ruined Smallville streets.

Around them, a handful of armed soldiers in US Military colours surrounded their target. Clark knew that objective was him.

Then from the ring came a large and weathered army general in simple uniform and armoured vest. He had only a single pistol reserved in its holster, a tad arrogant Clark decided. The general posed himself tall and clearly respected by his men. 'Superman, this is General Sam Lane. On behalf of these United States of America, I order you to stand down.'

Clark looked at the guardian whose eyes had returned to their original blue. He had no choice, staring General Lane down a little, he ultimately put his hands up in surrender.

Inside the café, a soldier was going through the shops to make sure everyone was okay, but opening the door to the café, the owner, a humungous man as masculine as Superman had uncourteously commanded the soldier out of the café. 'Get the fuck out, son,' he hissed. The soldier fumbled out and back with the rest of them while everyone, Lana and Pete, watched darkly as their best friend, hidden within a strange but admittedly awesome armour, was being escorted to a military hummer.

And then they were gone.

**-=O=-**

**-=S=-**

**Author's Note: I hoped you guys like this chapter. It was an alright experience for me, enjoyably fun. I think it's something that I thought was missing in Man of Steel. Sure you can go with a loner Clark outside of Smallville, but one thing people don't seem to understand is that although he felt often alone, he wasn't. That's one of the things I loved about Superman, about what they've done with him in the New 52 and stuff. What makes him relatable is that he can grow, develop how he perceives the world through interactions with friends and family, taught him the brighter sides which makes him fight to bring that light to everyone. A contrast to Batman who tries to take away crime, Superman instead seeks to replace that mentality completely with that of hope and a better way. **


	27. Law-Abiding Alien

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

**LAW-ABIDING ALIEN**

The city of Metropolis shone throughout the day under the bright yellow sun. Lois sat at a crowded bar, feeling a little bit grumpy. She came clean with Perry about her investigation on the Metahuman problem. He was intrigued, at least at first—the old journalist in him. But then she got to the LexCorp owned C.A.D.M.U.S. Labs part and how she broke in and found it still occupied.

She knew Mr White was only trying to watch out for her. He's always been doing that, looking out for her. He was the father that she's always wanted. Strong opinions, yet respectful and wise and kind, someone she needed.

'Could I get you another one,' Bart the bartender pointed to her empty glass.

'Sure, Bart, I could do with another.'

Most of the patrons of that bar weren't drunk, their eyes glued to the box playing above the menu board. The Daily Planet News program was reporting on the Metahuman crisis. More than seventy houses the past month were raided by guardians. Most of the people they apprehended were children, little boys and girls of varying ethnicities.

Several of them were apprehended after committing various degrees of criminal activities— from petty theft…to murder. She heard just yesterday that a suspected terrorist started glowing green before disappearing.

A terrorist with superpowers…she could understand the worry, somewhat, though not heavily invested in the paranoia of the majority of the public. Lois believed that if they had gotten along very well not knowing their existence…then what issue could metahumans cause?

Bart poured her another glass. 'You look a little out of it, Lane. Feeling alright?'

'M fine,' she assured him in a mumble. 'I'm just a little bit pissed off.'

'Well it's a Monday, kid,' she was joined by an older man, her father's age. 'Everyone's pissed off on a Monday.'

She smiled as she gave him a big and gripping hug. 'It's good to see you, Uncle Bill.'

'Well I had a few hours and wanted to spend some of it with my favourite niece.'

The young reporter chortled, taking mild sip of her bourbon. 'Thought that was Lucy, you know obedient army liaison.'

She may not have cared, or not taken notice, but that comment had pierced her uncle quite a bit. True to her words when she said they were more powerful than any rocket powered machine gun. 'Even for a US spokesman for the United Nations, family is often where politics draw the line,' he remarked after which followed a rather lengthy moment of silence. He waved two fingers to Bart and a glass of scotch slid before him. 'Your dad called me on an untraceable line. Says he wants you to come here,' he passed her a piece of paper with an address on it. 'He says he has the alien in custody and wants you to interrogate him.'

Lois looked at the paper. She knew the location and a sad look came over her. 'So it is political then. You know exactly why he asked for me.'

'Because you are his daughter.'

'Because I'm an asset turned liability,' she shot. 'You guys want me to be just like Lu— compliant and submissive. I won't.'

Her uncle shook his head disapprovingly, 'Lois, your sister has made a name for herself. She has an important career, a future.'

'And I'm one of if not _the_ youngest Pulitzer Prize winning journalist for an internationally renowned news network.'

Bill shrugged, his clean shaven face smiled. 'Then see this as great story to be obtained. Unfortunately you won't be allowed with any means of recording.'

His young and skilful niece laughed slightly, she looked at the paper a while longer, just a fraction of a second and with a lighter, set it aflame. 'I'll pay close attention, uncle.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

They took the alien to an isolated room suspended within a huge orb chamber underground. As they passed through the series of corridors, he saw their curious faces, gasping and whispering about their captive.

Clark could hear them, what they were saying. _They still don't trust me…_

He was allowed to keep the visor on with much resistance to its removal, opting to give him some semblance of freedom. They did however see fit to bind his wrists with Promethean steel cuffs.

In the interrogation room, he could see the observation window on the far side. Though it was covered by a two-way mirror, he could see the general that apprehended him and some other military personnel, some scientists as well. Another man entered the observation room that brought a grim feeling in the pit of Clark's stomach.

Lex Luthor brought a led lined briefcase, placing it on a table and when the he opened it, Clark suddenly felt ill. Luckily for him, the case of what the scientists called _Kryptonite_ was closed again, and the nausea passed, though still Clark felt an anxiety of having Luthor so close by.

They sat him down at a single table with chairs on opposite sides, facing each other, for someone to interrogate him no doubt. The room was a relatively simplistic looking area. Mostly it was made of bullet and shatterproof glass, sitting between two beams.

What caught him off guard next however was the arrival of his interrogator…Lois Lane. She sat herself on the other chair, and took out her pen and started tapping it on the table. 'Nice pen,' he said, gesturing to its gold clip and top, trying to lightly break the silence.

The young woman had a half showing smile, as playfully as always. 'Thanks, nothing special, got in from the receptionist at K.O.R.D Tech. Why'd you turn yourself in?' an obvious question.

Clark shrugged, 'I was surrounded by three dozen armed soldiers…and your dad.'

'Come on, I've seen you take down an army of gangsters without harming a single life—'

'It isn't about what I can do…' he was a little bit hesitant. 'I'm already struggling with doing what I _should_ do. With my abilities I have to be a hundred times careful. I was just trying to do the right thing.'

Lois then pointed her pen at his wrists. 'You let them handcuff you?'

He presented his hands and the metallic manacles that restricted them. 'Promethean steel is regarded as one of the toughest material in the world at the moment.' She continued to look at him with suspicion. Once again, Clark just raised his shoulders. 'I guess if it makes them more comfortable…then all the better for it.'

She examined him again, a little impressed dare she say it, of the new upgrade to his appearance. 'Is that a new suit?'

'Yeah, a little gift from my home planet.'

She gave him a homely smile, but then looked around Clark's head. 'What about the helmet? Out of etiquette and good manners I'd like a good look at people I talk to.'

'I think I'm entitled to some form of basic civil rights as deciding when I would like to—'

A coy smirk began to peak on the reporter's face, 'You don't know how to take it off do you.'

He took a minute before lowering his head in shame. 'Yeah…no, I don't,' he admitted.

Lois chuckled quickly as she imagined he'd be blushing at that moment. She heard him match her chuckle, perhaps a little bit embarrassed— another up-side for the helmet.

There was a moment of silence though that followed. It was not awkward or uncomfortable, but an air of uneasiness when he turned to face the invisible viewing room to the left. She asked him what was wrong in a tone at almost a whisper.

'I can see them preparing a tranquilising gun,' he stated, sombrely. 'I don't know if it'll be wise to tell them it won't work.'

Lois smiled at him, a nice and genuine smile, understanding, a little mischievous—a smile could let slip a lot about one's character. She reached for her friend's hand, even the steel that covered them could not dim the warmth in his hand. But then she sighed and took her hands away, suddenly she felt that she'd just stolen something. 'They asked me to ask you a few questions.'

'I thought they already knew the answers to all of the important ones.'

'So,' she started, shifting around a little bit uncomfortably. 'The number one question— why are you here, on Earth?'

'I'm here to do what anyone would do given the chance.'

Lois leaned back in her chair…arms folded, face stern. 'Which is?'

Clark shrugged, 'To do the right thing. I want to fight for truth and justice and the American Way.'

'That seems naïve, Clar…Superman,' she muttered. 'I mean, sure you've been taking down corrupt bureaucrats but those things, they're subjective matters.'

'Not necessarily,' he countered. 'My pa used to tell me that there is only ever one truth. Sometimes people see it differently, have such an incomplete picture, but it's still the same truth, just in a different language. And Justice? It's something that relies on truth, in its entirety. It's something that relies on all of humanity to see.'

'Seems a little loaded,' she shot. 'Considering the giant alien mothership that's hovering over Earth's atmosphere, I wouldn't blame people for their mistrust of you.'

Clark shrugged. 'To be frank, that one night I told you about me, was all that I knew about myself. The rest I learnt from my time…out there. As for the ship…' Clark became quiet and he became very grateful now for his visor. 'All I know is that I was sent to this planet as a baby only moments before my planet exploded. There is no one else. I am alone.'

'I'm sorry to hear that,' Lois sighed.

He never said it, but she knew he was alright. He accepted her condolences. 'I don't know what that ship's doing here, I haven't heard from anyone…as far as I was concerned…I was the only one left.'

'Does this…' She was timid about her words, fidgeting with her fingers. 'Does the prospect of more of your kind give you some semblance of hope? After all, you're not alone anymore.'

He did not know what else to say or do. 'I was never alone,' he said with a warming smile. 'I was raised here,' he started. 'I grew up on Earth. To me this is my home, and who would I be if I did not try to do the right thing now and again.' He did not even notice this in his relaxed state he had broken his promethean bindings.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

'So what now, Luthor?' General Lane spoke. 'As much faith as I have in my own abilities, I doubt we'll have much power to keep it contained.'

Luthor smiled sarcastically at the soldier. 'You speak as though gender is a relatively human thing, but dogs can be both male and female, a genus most like universal. Superman is male, and I think we should keep him in the room at all costs. I have tools to help with that.' It wasn't that he thought it really mattered when it came to soldiers and science, but again…Lex abhorred foolishness. He spotted a flash of anxiety from Hamilton, usually rather talkative, he expected to be hearing far more from someone who had a living extra-terrestrial in their midst. 'Do you have something on your mind, Dr Hamilton?'

He was hesitant at first, always was around high profile people, even for someone as advanced in age as he. 'I don't mean to speak out of turn, Mr Luthor, but he's been living on this planet for years, is it safe to assume he's fully assimilated within our society?'

Luthor responded only with a shake of his head. No he did not agree to that assumption. 'He isn't human, Emil. In fact he claims to be beyond us. Why should we accept such an idea to this planet?' All eyes went to the alien in the hovering cubical. Many would see Ms Lane's actions as rather courageous—being so close to such a dangerous creature. 'Do you think that humanity's place as dominant species on Earth was achieved so easily, that there was no bloodshed?

'He has no rights here, and under the current climate, he should be treated as what he is, an enemy of mankind.'

'We don't know if he's here to invoke such evolution.'

'Okay, are you two done here,' General Lane inserted with command. 'Regardless of what this Kryptonian's intentions are, we have orders. We can use him as collateral against their ship and maybe even use the Kryptonian as a weapon to our advantage.'

A little soft on detail but Lex accepted the first stage of the plan. He caressed the briefcase as though it were a loving pet.

'I still don't see why you are so fascinated with the alien, Mr Luthor.' Ms Graves speculated, curiously, through the window that protected them. 'He surely doesn't look all that impressive.'

All Lex did was smirk at her rather disappointed look. 'You're looking at a superior alien race wearing strange armour that was once seen in the city lifting an entire train of carriages with his bare hands. Who wouldn't be interested—'

'Yeah, except your fascination, dare I say it, borders on—'

'Obsessive?' Luthor finished for her to save her any embarrassing, awkward moments that are wasted upon her. His eyes turned to Superman in that hovering cube. 'I agree it is difficult to tell apart obsession with focus. I have plans for this Man of Steel.'

Suddenly his watch began to beep and flash. _Luthor_, a voice in his head—Brainiac's monotonous and calm voice. He excused himself from the college of political airheads and requested a separate room.

'The time is now, my friend,' Brainiac appeared before him, he seemed different. He looked stronger, a more dark, fuller colour. Somehow, that put Luthor a little on edge…maybe it was just him. 'The drilling facility is complete. All it needs is Substance K to fuel the drill.'

Luthor bowed at the hologram, 'Thank you, Teacher, the many things you have taught us, provided for us. I cannot express enough our gratitude.'

The AI returned the gesture in good faith. But somehow, Luthor felt a tang uneasy around it. 'I have sensed the presence of an energy source in your systems. An anomaly you have coveted and protected behind layer upon layer of debris and a peculiar algorithm designed specifically to keep me out.'

'It was a defensive strategy,' Luthor offered. 'Frankly, humans are often lateral or singular thinkers. I deduced you were of immense power and designed it to reflect a force of any power level equal to or lower than your own.'

_But it wasn't only to repel, wasn't it?_

'May I ask one thing, teacher?' Brainiac allowed it. 'My own fascination of the Kryptonian is a rather transparent thought. I don't try to hide it as much.' Lex paced around the room, his hands in his pockets. 'But what is your fascination with it?'

There was a slight pause as the billionaire did nothing but smirk.

'I saw you engaging with the alien in the arctic…well I saw you see…yourself engaging with the alien?' He played with confusion, furrowing at the AI. 'Now what is it about Kal-El that would have you expose yourself so early in the war?' He produced a small device which he then attached to his watch. 'I don't trust aliens. In fact I don't trust any animal with conscious intellect and free-will. Of everything you have told me, your connections have seemed to hinder on one destination…Krypton.'

'You believe that fact defines me?'

'I believe that I've never asked you…why are you still here, on this planet?' Brainiac did not answer. He presented the watch to allow for a better view. 'This is a new device, tailored to my specifications to a present I've left you.' Brainiac was not at all moved by the human. 'As for the equation… Don't tell anyone but I've taken a peek.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**MEANWHILE…**_

He sat on a throne in his digital blue world. He sat there just looking at the crimson box in front of him. What to do?

He was too close to turn back now. When he left Krypton, he felt a light burst of energy pass him. So Jor-El sent the equation to Martian…the only explanation for its presence here.

But now as the human intellect Luthor has pointed out…it is protected, it was very well protected.

He got up from his seat and approached the cube. A hand gently placed on the surface. _I need it!_

_Just a little closer…just a little…_

That did it…Brainiac's hand barely skimmed the cube when suddenly it opened. The last firewall was open…and like Pandora's Box, it unleashed hell.

_No…No…NO!_

The city…his world was collapsing. His virtual reality was breaking. It was a virus, breaking his connections with his surroundings.

He stood there, looking around him as his world crumbled into lost data, like dust particles exploding at the speed of sound and then settling down into their graves for eternity. He fell to his knees. He recognised the trace, the smell of the virus, encoded into firewalls, sometimes they took the form of AI, like digital suicide bombers.

His eyes, the started glowing, in the real world, his face had no articulation, but the rage in his head now…_This planet will feel it!_

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

There was some shuffling around outside as the doors and gates closed of their own accord and locked themselves, the rooms and sectors were shut off. The viewing room became dim and the mirror was nothing but black. 'What's going on?'

Clark looked around, but strangely his sight could no longer penetrate the outer shell.

Inside the isolated cube, Clark told his journalist colleague to stand back in the corner as the lights started to flicker. Then, like water flowing, an army of particle light slithered out of the security cameras. Brainiac returned in full form again.

'Brainiac,' he announced, balling his fists.

'Hello, Kal-El.' The AI noticed his hands, hear the knuckles crackle. 'At ease, Son of El, I mean you no harm.' A wary look crossed upon Clark's face, hidden of course, but apparently Brainiac could. 'When I attacked you, I was acting on survival instincts. I scanned this planet before arriving and found an abnormality. A Kryptonian living on Earth,' he said, exasperatedly, 'a last Kryptonian at that.'

'And the things you said in the North?'

Brainiac paused for a moment before answering. 'I left Krypton in a rather rough stand with your father. But I am in all forms a computer. I do not know how to define the emotions of the free-willed, thus it is a probability that my last encounter with him was one of insult.'

_Prideful people…_ 'So what do you want now?'

Brainiac paced around, a striking thought on his mind. 'I am an explorer, Kal-El. I have gone from one universe to another—that is my programming to explore, to learning. That is also the heritage of your people. Explorers, well before the Elder Council restricted progress that is.' Soon the room was a huge map of the Milky Way. 'These people here Kal,' he pointed at a planet circling the sun, third planet from the sun, 'they have their own kind. This maybe a little bit harsh, but you are not one of theirs and they will never accept you here. You have chosen to make an impact here, El, but you will make a tsunami, you cannot interfere in human history.'

'I don't have a choice.'

'But you will.'

'That was not what I meant,' Clark defended. 'I meant that I can't help it. I was raised differently.'

'I know,' the AI sated simply, as if he'd known him for years. 'You were raised by human beings but you are not one of them. You have great powers, some you have already found to possess, and some that you have yet to discover. That was the problem with Krypton of your father's generation. They limited themselves to their own, forsaken others. Thus have you limited your potential to the scope of humanity.'

As Brainiac rambled, he looked to Lois, standing in the corner, seemingly watching the exchange, perhaps a little hopeful.

'In exchange for this world…' he opened his arms, exposing his chest as if to emphasis his size as compared to the universe he generated. '…I offer you the universe.'

Clark shook his head, perplexed with such a prospect, such an offer. 'The universe, is that even possible?'

'Possibility is not a relevant struggle,' it went on to say, 'Probability—now that is where you come in, Kal-El. Consider what I say, Last son of Krypton.' He then paused so suddenly. 'I feel something…someone has violated my programming, one of my vessels is not where it should be.'

That was when even Clark stopped still. He could hear a slight, shift, an uncomfortable feeling at the back of his neck.

One word passed through the silence that even Lois could hear clearly. 'Smallville…' The only word that mattered enough for The Superman to react so instantaneously, he disappeared, shattering the glass room and the metal doors all the way out of the compound.

Soldiers came in to check the damage, the sirens wailed louder and louder. After checking on Lois, seeing if she was alright they all vacated the area on General Lane's orders with new instructions to track the now missing Kryptonian.

All that was left in the room was Ms Lane and the holographic man. Lois frowned as she approached this thing. 'What did you do?' she asked, and he said nothing, only looking on. 'What did you say to him?'

Again, the man of light was silent. 'I said what is, Ms Lane. Alien or not, Superman is a fallible being, an animal of brash and emotional reflexes. I am helping him see, helping some emotions turn to action…brash actions.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**SMALLVILLE**_

A guardian steadily descended onto the soft and fertile ground of the Kent Farm, blowing away the bucket of freshly folded clothes. Against the titanic guardian, all that Martha could do was stand there, her dress blowing in the wind generated by the giant. What could she do?

What would the guardian do?

She shields her eyes from the setting orange sun and stared sternly up at it, eyes burying through those cold and lifeless eyes. The L symbol of LexCorp was shining brazenly on its chest, only intensified Ma Kent's furrow.

**-=O=-**

**-=SUPERMAN=-**

**Author's Note:**

**Saw Batman v Superman the other day and although I did see some problems, I would have appreciated it if the film focussed on BvS instead of Dawn of Justice, I mean the first half of the film had so much potential, the rest was alright. Overall I loved the film.**

**I wish they'd get Max Landis on the project, if anyone understands Superman, its Landis.**


	28. Blurred Lines

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**BLURRED LINES**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**SMALLVILLE**_

Martha Kent stood by anxiously as another metal giant touched ground and marched to her barn. It ripped the spaceship from the storm cellar, tore that apart and begun sifting through the wreckage. She saw it take a flashing object from it. It looked like a large canister of glowing purple light.

That giant joined up with the one guarding her. '_Coluan Battery acquired…_' it hummed. It then crouched down and…zoom…it disappeared. The other one then begins to move on Marth, threateningly.

But she was stronger than that. Martha held her ground, in fact, she clenched her fists, though not as strong as she would be in her youth, she had a few things she could do, whether they did anything was irrelevant to her.

Fortunately…she would not have to. She heard the sound barrier break and her son flying at incredible speed. Clark tackled the robot through the cornfields, shouting out as he smashed the metal giant, 'LUTHOR!' He saw the lights, they weren't purple thus could not be under Brainiac's control.

He bashed the robot with the metal weapon throwing punches of its own. They flew right through the massive storage pylons. But Clark didn't want to make the same mistakes again. He punched the robot the other way, away from the town.

For the next minute or so Clark focused on keeping the fight airborne. Every time the guardian wanted to land, Clark flew below it and punched it back up again. That was when he heard it start to speak, 'Access Kryp—'

Clark definitely would not let that happen. He smashed the robot's face, destroying its neural engine. He watched the robot fall into the river at Ford's Pass.

His next move was to return to the military compound. Most of the soldiers were out now, their weapons trained on him, he dismissed them and continued to walk down underground. Even when General Lane ordered him to freeze with his own firearm targeted at him, Clark merely looked at him. 'I wouldn't do that, General,' and with that sped up to Luthor's chambers.

So there he was, in the flesh again. And so like Luthor, he was smiling up at him, reclined in his chair with his trusty bodyguard by his side. 'Ah, Superman, I have actually been waiting to meet you again. It's been too long…Clark.'

Superman jumped at the drop of his name, moving so fast he shattered the glass as he pinned Luthor against the wall. Mercy tried to aid her boss but she saw him gesture away from it. 'Luthor you unwanted swine!'

Lex chuckled to himself made it perfectly clear he was mocking him, 'Quite a bit old fashioned, wouldn't you agree, Mr Kent?' At the moment Clark had his grip fastened on his neck, anymore sudden movements on either of their parts and his neck would snap. 'What are you going to do, Superman, kill me? You prove me right if you do.'

'Why do you hate me so much?'

Luthor growled. 'Why do you think?' Clark saw the rage build up in his eyes. 'Ever since the dawn of time, humanity was led to believe that we were on our own, that we were the shepherds of our own destiny, gods. Brainiac has shown me otherwise.'

'What do you mean?'

'But it does not matter,' Luthor had not seemed to have heard him. 'We called you gods, you metahumans. Zeus…Osiris…Odin…but you're all just aberrations, mutations.'

Behind the helmet, Clark was half smiling. 'I thought you were a scientist, Luthor. Everyone is a mutation, that's the normal part.'

Lex chuckled and tried to nod. 'Nonetheless, like I said it no longer matters…'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**C.A.D.M.U.S. Labs**_

Within the confines of the research facility hidden beneath an old laboratory, each metahuman was given their own accommodation. It would have been a good deal for them, but as Dinah was witness, her room consisted of four walls, a bed and table…and some light, that was all. Every room was like that.

For the past year and a half the seventeen year-old was tested upon, she was trained how to master her enhanced sonic cry in the field, went on a few missions for Lex Luthor but when she got back to her four walled, empty cell, they would place a collar around her neck that momentarily neutralised her abilities. Instead those impulses were converted to massive headaches and often stomach pains. For her, the collar took away her ability to speak at all. Repression was what she called it, but Mr Luthor called it a base to work on.

There was a ruckus going on down the hall toward the training room. New recruits, was what Dinah guessed. Then she heard clanks. Fifty giant metal men stood in front of the fifty cells that housed the metahumans, they stood guard in silence. But it was the noisy movement happening in the courtyard that held her curiosity. From the small window on her door, she could see a glimpse of them, more guardians, looked like they were surrounding the other metahumans.

She could see Ralph Dibny there as well, and Mari was there too.

Then…she noticed the other doors started to open up and the guards began to escort the other metahumans out. Soon her own was opened and the guardian walked through. They looked very different than the others, bigger, taller, large green eyes and no longer did they bare the mark of LexCorp but now held a collection of patriotic American symbols like the Presidential Seal on their chests and the Metropolis Coat of Arms on their shoulders. She was scared.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

'What do you mean by that?'

Again, he smiled. 'I don't hate you per se. You represent something that dwells within every scientific mind. A fear of extinction, and with the emergence of the metahumans, it brought that fear ever closer.'

'I don't think we're here to supplant humanity—'

'That decision is not yours to make!' the rich scientist burst out. 'Mammals did not ask permission to over-run the cretaceous dinosaurs. Homo sapiens did not ask their Homo neanderthalensis cousin permission to replace them as a dominant, intelligent species on Earth. Evolution doesn't care who rides the train, all we will ever know is that in the case of genomes, there can be only one.

'Now look at you, the herald of a new age, a new status quo and the other metahuman genomes, they'll rally behind you. You'll make them stronger, daring…' he felt Superman's grip tighten a little bit, only a little. '…But like I said, soon things will be put right. The line will be set, marked. Me against you…'

'Leave them out of this, Luthor,' Clark warned. 'All those metahumans you've detained, most of them are innocent citizens, children, bystanders, and they don't deserve to fight our battles.'

Luthor looked to a clock hanging at the far wall. 'It is almost time. Soon the metahumans at C.A.D.M.U.S, will die…well not all of them. Dead men tell no tales and I want this one to be told everywhere. I want them to see what humanity is willing to do to survive.'

'You would brand yourself the villain simply to make a point?'

'Not just me,' he replied. 'I have arranged for this to happen worldwide. All it takes is a handful of soldiers baring official government edicts and they will make the war for me.' Then he started to laugh, almost callously as he had to gag to stop himself from breaking his own neck. 'Think of it like the Catholic Inquisition.'

'You'd murder millions—'

'Billions, Kal-El,' Lex corrected, 'once again I see you have underestimated humanity.'

A shifting in the back of his spine, Clark felt it, heard it…all over the world, almost in sync to each other, their cries of pain amplified by his acute senses. Central City…Gotham…Honk Kong…Dubai…

'Oh, there it is…' he grinned down at him. 'God or man makes no difference. Myself? I'm an old man, Superman. I know God's nature. If He is all-powerful, then He cannot be all good…and it's the same with us. Soon you'll understand.'

But Clark wasn't going to give up. He held up his free hand, revealing a pen that he'd been clutching into view. Luthor paused, his grin slightly fading as he baffled. It was Lois' pen that she had gotten from a company known for their easy access nanotechnology.

Clark pressed a button on the side and Luthor's voice started playing. _It's almost time. Soon the metahumans at C.A.D.M.U.S, will die…well not all of them. Dead men tell no tales and I want this one to be told everywhere. I want them to see what humanity is willing to do to survive…_

He paused the recording and Luthor's face fell and he could spot a small glimmer of fear in the mad scientist's eyes. But Clark did not stay to gloat. He failed the others but he could at least try to save the rest.

He flew out of the military compound and took to the skies. He searched for the other metahumans. Luthor said they were at a place called Cadmus?

He remembered that night at his first encounter with Atomic Skull. Thus he raced there over to the Industrial District of the City of Tomorrow. Over the building complex, his visor computer started to analyse everything he saw. Twelve people, no…they weren't omitting any heat…the robots, with power replicative capabilities, they're powering up what looked like ion cannons from their hands, pointed at a large collective mass that his infrared could pick up.

Below the supposed abandoned Project Cadmus, nine children in possession of most wondrous powers and abilities were rounded up at the centre of the training grounds, surrounded by armed weapons. Dinah knew exactly what was going to happen, and as somebody who's contemplated death ever since her parents found out she was a metahuman, she was not surprised.

She could see the light already upon her, and a grumble from above. Dinah took hold of Ralph's hand who then took Mari's, and so they all joined hands, connected in their deaths. In truth most of them had expected this. So they've been waiting…

But then, as if God had heard her silent prayers, Superman crashed down from the ceiling, under the helmet, his eyes had lit up, aiming to protect the kids when it dawned on him. Those cold beings lacking any life weren't guardians at all, but soldiers, they were wearing strange armour that somehow cloaked their human EM signature. They weren't robots at all and the faces on them had him hesitate.

That was until one of them said, 'Kill the freaks!'

The Man of Steel sped around knocking their ion weapons. In response, they took out more guns, more heavy tech firearms that god only knew what they were capable of. To top it all off, they weren't alone as several guardians appeared and started firing off what Clark could only describe as white noise.

Superman pushed one of the robots into the massing soldiers, and looked to the children, frozen stiff with fear and confusion. 'Everyone out now,' he cried out, pushing against two robot's fists from clobbering him. Without hesitation the metahumans all headed out for the elevating platform. Supposedly it could hold more than seventy people at once.

Guardian 0158 had detached away from the rest of the squad, its left hand open at their escaping assets. He could feel the power it summoned. Superman summoned his own to throw the one pinning him away and moved as inhumanly as possible and like last time, the world became slower in that instance.

He appeared right in front of the elevator, his body trying to cover as much of the entryway as possible just as the bolt of unknown energy hit him straight in the chest. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before, the pain like he'd just taken a nuke, only it was so contained to one area. He cried out in pain but still held his ground.

The beam was fired for more than two minutes by which the others had gathered side by side and started shooting at him. He took it all…all of their hate…all of their force. He looked behind him, at their faces so afraid, so uncertain. His world had been getting a lot bigger ever since he exposed himself in such a manner. It was unfair to just ignore them.

The girl named Dinah frantically looked around for the panel and switched the platform to 'up'.

As the elevator started ascending, Clark focussed all of his attention on keeping the guards busy. Guardian 0150 sought to bypass him, Superman managed to grab its ankle and smashed it right into another.

Guardian 0150 and 0155 were destroyed…Guardian 0222…Guardian 0158…Guardian 0160…0150 had an arm missing with his other one running straight through 0153. He manoeuvred passed three other guards, smashing their guns as he did.

'Luthor wants the Kryptonian dead!' shouted the leader into his microphone as discretely as possible. Luckily for Clark, he picked up on the transmission, 'Switch to Sub K.'

'_Irradiated bullets_,' Luthor really was prepared for him. But that would have to wait. Up overhead, the platform's hoisting cable was about to break. It was just a few stories below the surface and it looked to be dropping very soon, very fast.

One of the guards managed to shoot him with those bullets, getting him right in the shoulder. Clark staggered back a mere inch before he pushed up off the ground, eyes lit to sizzle as he stared them down. 'Back down, now,' he roughly commanded.

They contemplated ignoring his order and continue with their attack, but soon enough they heard the elevator's cable snap off and descended into a turbo.

With or without their consent, Superman flew up the shaft and caught the platform with both hands as carefully as possible. He cringed with pain of the Kryptonite bullet lodged in his shoulder. He pushed on, taking it up slowly at the same time making sure that the metahuman children were alright.

They reached the deserted laboratory where they got off and out. Clark recommended that they remove their collars. They smiled up at their saviour, not from afar, watching his hover in mid-air, no, Superman could see their grateful expressions, some even coming in to hug him. He relished in their embrace for a moment but then went on to ask them if they knew where the other facilities were located.

Dinah had come forth, being one of the first recruits in their generation she was supposed to know more. 'There isn't anymore, sir,' she informed him. 'In the United States, this one was the only one but…'

'But LexCorp has some places all over the world,' piped in the scrawny looking Ralph. 'Mr Luthor called them academies.'

'I take it that they were never really going to help us were they?' Clark looked at Dinah. The young blond lowered her head, downtrodden as a tear started to form. He saw the sadness in all of their eyes. 'We don't belong here.'

'We don't belong anywhere, Superman,' the ebony skinned Mari concluded.

Clark then did something. His mind made a command and his helmet unlocked. He took the mask off and revealed the humanoid beneath. 'I used to think the same thing, ma'am. I used to fear my abilities, of what the world might think of me if they knew that I even existed.' He gently told them, a comfortable smile on his face. 'Almost a year ago, I saw the world fear me. But I've also seen the good. Perhaps that's what these powers are for, to show the world that they could be good, whatever the circumstance.'

It took a while, but Clark recons he got to them. 'So what do we do now?' Dinah asked him.

'I'll leave that to you guys. After all this is over, I'll help look for a home for you all, one where you guys are in control.'

She smiled and hugged him, they all thanked him for his help and Clark felt himself surrender to their affections. She bade them farewell and told them to see if they could get to Smallville where he promised he'd meet up with them. Clark Kent if not anything, was a very trusting person. Yes, they were as powerful as he, they could help him out and a part of him wanted them to stay and help, but the look on their faces, after all they were just children. The sighed in relief as he hailed them a bus bound for Kansas.

Then the skies called for him again and he rose. He needed to race now to the other countries, the other LexCorp research facilities…

'No,' Clark nearly fell out of the sky but steadied himself… _**'NOOOOO!'**_

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

There was turmoil over the City of Tomorrow. Every holographic projection had started to show them various scenarios spanning the world. All of Metropolis…no all of the Western world was now witness to Israel where they had captured two metahuman children, a boy and the girl Kayan weren't even given a moment's notice, Israeli police opened fire on the children.

At the Central City Police Department, every cop and criminal being processed had stopped what they were doing, a blond haired man in particular had looked on at the television screen, fear was bubbling just below the surface. Every channel was stuck on the events. He was shocked.

In India, a bald little girl with blank white eyes shrivelled in fear as she was fired upon by more soldiers.

Albert Michaels sat in his cell at Belle Reve, staring at the TV across from his compartment behind bulletproof glass. He saw the atrocities happening around the world. A few cells below him was where they kept most of the criminals that showed exceptional abilities or strange appearances.

A young girl with bright orange skin and red hair clutched the woman who took her in, the refugees watched their own box, the woman tried to block her view with her hands…it was bloody. In Bialya, a group of metahuman asylum seekers trying to flee to the US were intercepted by border patrol led by Guardians. They sunk the vessels. Some even set them on fire, killing the majority.

Then it all went static for some time. YOU HAVE BEEN DECEIVED! Appeared on the screen written in the distorted voices of what sounded like politicians. It echoed throughout the city, throughout the country, and when the static cleared out, there appeared a motionless face, mechanical. 'People of Earth, this is what your leaders have sought in the shadows. The metahuman components have been in their knowledge for many years…you need only look and ask.'

Few more images appeared, flashed before the display, one was of President John F Kennedy's assassination where the completed video showed a man on the opposite building from the assassin's window. He had his hand outstretched facing the bullet, it curved in mid-air…hitting the beloved president.

Then to rare recording of Hiroshima where they dropped a bomb that broke apart, revealing a human being, soon the form began to glow, gathering a lot of energy that surrounded it like a ball which then expanded before all of that violent energy just exploded. It immediately ended the lives of 80,000 people.

'You thought that you were protected by them, but you were deceived. Now, take back your freedom!'

In her father's study, Leanna Luthor watched the Brainiac character closely. She was rather impressed with its message. It was cloaked, he was not clear on whom he was targeting, human or metahuman, and each would drink up the message and become drunk with its agenda. This was how one obtains power, make sure you don't tell them you have it.

But that part had passed and she was now hacking into LexCorp computers. All the while she was hoping, praying that Clark would come back. The past hour was spent watching a hidden camera below the LexCorp building, one of her father's recently folded projects ever since his debacle with the Government Contracted Program.

She was left speechless. She'd heard Lex talk to himself and Mercy about Brainiac but she never realised that it was…whatever this thing was. She expected some sort of library or manual but this was something else, a giant head like Power Ranger's Zordon, talking about the future of the world, about all of this information that checked out with her.

Lea downloaded the rest of the material and ran out to the Watchtower. It took more work than she expected. All of her life she never had her father's body guards on her tail—she grew to be thankful though, too bad that mentality of his had disappeared.

She needed to lose them fast and preferably before she reached reception. Basically she went into the mainframe and triggered every alarm systematically, first the fire drill that laxed security and so on until she actually got to the front door where she let the burglary alarm sound, closing off every entryway out behind her. She jeered at the guards banging at the doors, clearly pissed off at her. Then, just to spite them, she inserted a virus targeting the main data nexus, nothing too big, but just enough for security to shut itself down. She bowed at their bewilderment and jolted away.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

Lex stood in the humungous hanger where they hung large air ships for repairs. He stood now before a projection of Brainiac's head. 'It's done, people are rioting in the streets, the battle lines are drawn.'

'Earth's salvation is imminent. Well done, Mr Luthor. You will be hailed as a hero,' said the AI. 'Perhaps not in the near future, but your legacy is secure. In time they will see it.'

'I don't worry about that, Teacher. Everything I do…it's for the betterment of mankind,' he bowed humbly to it. 'As for the equation, I will have it completely encoded and transferred to your systemic bank in four hours.'

He was lying through his smile and humble nature. He'd seen it, the equation and it took him a while to understand…but now it was not a problem, now he had full understanding of the way things worked, or at least a basic grasp of the truth. He smirked at him and something snapped.

Suddenly Brainiac started to faze in and out of reality. _VVHHRRRMMMMM…._He appeared now before him, in humanoid form, down on all fours, groaning in pain. It was a feeling he was quite new to…this sort of pain. 'You have betrayed me, human.'

Oh did he wait years for this moment, him, standing over a being of superior abilities to him, smiling at it. 'I realised something, Teacher,' he started. 'I am actually far more powerful than you.' He had his watch, set and emitting the frequency that was designed to give Luthor control over any Artificial Intelligence. 'Finally…I am Prometheus!' he proclaimed with his eyes closed, head to the heavens as he accepted the flames of Mt Olympus. 'Now, rise, my fire.'

Brainiac did as he was instructed and stood up. But if the AI could express his emotions upon his face, Luthor would have seen a slight glimpse of a smile, hidden in the corner of the AI's mouth.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**BELLE REVE**_

'You're the reason the world's like this!'

'Well, it's people like you that bring humanity to the ground!'

'Look we don't want any trouble—'

'Hah, not so tough without your powers aren't you.'

'Yeah, do those neck things make it hard to breathe?'

A small man about the size of a ten year-old child climbed the bars showing his teeth in a growl at the humans detained on the other side of the prison. 'Why don't you come on over here and I'll show ya!'

'Stop antagonising them, Cizko,' his teenage cellmate Frank Ramone urged him to watch his tongue. 'The world hates us enough as is.'

'From what I can see, we're already the enemy. So what's the effing point?'

The guards came in, accompanied by a guardian robot. 'Hay, knock it off, all of you!' he roared so loud it people thirty floors above felt their bars vibrate. 'Any trouble coming from any of you will get another week of community service and meals will be taken away, understood!'

The guard walked away and it did seem like peace was achieved. They weren't happy, neither of them, but it was quiet again.

Mr Michaels was isolated away from most of the other inmates, staying in a cell opposite the refugee detainment. He groaned as he caressed the collar around his neck. It restricted his power levels to zero, but did nothing to change his appearance. He was a freak, and they made to mock him further by locking him up, naked in a cell with bullet and shatterproof glass, so he was always looking at it…Atomic Skull.

Then…the voices returned. He started tugging on the neck brace. 'No…no…leave me alone…' _You let me die…_ his wife's voice. You swore to protect me, you failed. 'No, no, no…' _You have failed your family…_

With one final and powerful tug, he snapped the collar, crying out loud with pain of so many levels. As for his metahuman abilities…he clenched up his fists and he started to intensify in colour. He placed his hand on the glass and it started to crack, and melt.

In no time at all, he found himself in the corridor. The other inmates started to yell and scream for the guardians. He walked up to one of the human prisoners. 'What…what do you want from me?!'

Atomic Skull smashed through the bars and crouched down to meet the cowering inmate. 'I want the voices to stop…'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

On the darkest side of the moon, a pyramid in the lunar sands started to shift. With a thunderous howl, the ship detached itself from the orbiting moon. Inside, a pair of cold purple orbs, scanned the bridge, still in a state of disorder and wreckage. He was still weak, still vulnerable but it was the final stage of the process. He needed to proceed…

Yes…he needed to do his programming, why he existed in the first place. And he needed that equation!

_Just a few more hours and all of Earth's knowledge will be mine…With or without Kal-El standing beside me._ Still, to have the only Kryptonian left in this universe, the possibilities were endless.

**-=O=-**

**-=S=-**


	29. Superman Rises

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

**SUPERMAN RISES**

The friendly and sane faces in the streets of Metropolis were rioting like soccer hooligans. It was soon escalating but what slowed most of it down was the metahumans' un-wanting of any more conflict receded into the shadows, those who were not already criminals in the eyes of the law.

Fortunately none had resulted to weapons or excessive and fatal force. Clark was just on clean-up duty, making sure that there was no bloodshed.

Three parties in the fray—normal humans blamed the metahumans, metahumans blamed the normal humans, and they all hated the government, which included the people who enforce their laws.

A man was held at gunpoint at West Avenue. Well that was an inaccuracy, an insurance agent was in peril, true, but the weapon in question was another man, older, rugged features. He held the man with his right, his left held open next to the agent's head, and hovering just few inches was a single bullet.

The police had surrounded them, weapons trained on the dangerous metahuman with the power to control all sorts of metal, Clark suspected, even at an atomic level. 'Get back!' he threatened.

'Sir, you don't need to do this!' the lead officer tried.

But determination was on the man's face, holding his hostage closer. 'You have no idea what I need to do.'

'Sir, please, back off!' said the police officer, this time a lot more forceful. 'Let the man go!'

'Only one way I'm letting this man go,' he answered. 'You don't understand,' the metahuman's resolve was crumbling, he was trembling now, but one look at the insurance guy was more than enough to build up that hatred. 'I have to do this.'

'No, you don't.' They all turned around as Superman descended among the crowd and started to walk up to him. 'You don't have to be the one that falls, sir.'

'Open your eyes, man, they hate us, we're the bad guys,' he held his hand closer, the bullet now touching the hostage's skin. 'And this little A-hole called the Office of Homeland Security, said I was an effing terrorist!'

Clark stood before the conflict as firmly as possible, yet making sure he did not give off an offensive look, like the guy beside him. 'That's not how you get people to see, sir. How you are right now is how they'll see you, how the world will see us.'

'But this guy—'

'Him,' Clark pointed at the scared financial advisor, almost in disgust. 'Who cares about him, care about you, about how you see yourself—are you a terrorist, do you want to hurt people with your powers?'

The man was crestfallen, tears were forming. 'After he told them, they wouldn't even let me see my little girl. Something needs to be done to him.'

'Then fight him, fight him on your terms. This here,' he insinuated at the situation they were in, 'this is fighting on _his_ terms. The terms dictated by anger and those people that do want us to be the monsters that they think we are. Fear is a complicated thing and you'd have to agree, there's nothing worse than being wrong about that fear.'

He was quivering and this was the most important time. Clark could see a slight swivelling motion like a tail behind the bullet, the presence of kinetic energy. 'They'd put me away for years.'

'You haven't hurt anyone so far, you can still surrender and do time with honour.'

He looked at the masked alien though he seemed a blurry mess in his tear filled eyes. 'With honour…'

Then…like a huge boulder was lifted off of their chests, matching the sound of a clank, the bullet had fallen, clean and unstained. The man let his hostage go, allowing him to run off scared into custody. He then raised his hands up in surrender as police officers cuffed him.

They were all stopped however as a man in a white lab coat immerged from the crowd. He called on them to wait, so they did.

It was that man from the arctic. 'My name is Dr Stone of the Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Laboratories.' He approached the head officer and presented a piece of paper that looked quite important. 'I have presidential sanction to take the metahuman off your hands and into my custody.'

'What will you do, Doctor?' Superman stood guard in front of the powered human. 'I'm sorry if my trust in scientists is not at an all-time high right now.'

'That's why S.T.A.R Labs exists, Superman,' he gave him the contract for inspection. 'I got this sanction from the president, but we are not a government funded organisation.' He paused to look around him, looking rather anxious. 'We need to talk in private, Superman.'

Behind his visor, Clark smiled. 'Will do I—' something caught his attention, something off in the distance. People running and screaming, and a bright flashing light. 'I'm sorry, sir,' he walked over to the metahuman man, 'you may not have much cause to trust them right now, but these guys helped me once, a long time ago. They'll help you too.'

He seemed to accept that response and allowed the doctor to escort him away.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

'What are we dealing with, corporal?'

The entire room gave their undivided attention to General Lane. The young corporal was transfixed with the display on her screen, brought forth by the darkness of the room. She moved the display to the larger screen for everyone else to see. 'An unidentified object just entered our scanners two hours ago, sir.'

'What is it, a comet, an asteroid?'

'It's making course corrections,' she paused, pointing at a serial number underneath the track. 'Sir, object's already catalogued, is it the Kryptonian ship?'

Another soldier confirmed it wasn't, pointing at his own screen pinning the alien vessel as per his original duty. 'Sir, I think that one's a classified serial.'

Sam Lane just stood there, rooted to his spot. It was a classified number, and he knew all about it. _**0240582B**_ it read.

In the compound's hidden Airship hanger, Lex Luthor, Head of LexCorp and self-proclaimed owner of Metropolis, was weightless, floating a few inches off the ground in a cone of light, his eyes becoming white. Was he in pain? No, he was smiling. Brainiac stood watch as his men guarded them both.

The doors burst open with the general, accompanied by four armed and specially trained marines as well as a military guardian robot. 'Luthor!' he called out but there was no response from either of them. 'I know what you've done Luthor,' he took out his gun, expecting a struggle. 'You have committed an act of treason against the United States government.'

'I act upon my own governance, General Lane,' the floating man answered.

The soldiers walled them in a circle, their guns trained on the LexCorp people. General Lane took a step forward. 'I know you reinitiated Project Collector. You've handed classified information to a foreign party without permission from the governing bodies.'

Lex barely even acknowledged the threat to his health. 'I see it, I see it all,' he repeated over and over to himself.

Then, Brainiac appeared. 'He cannot hear you, he's…a little preoccupied,' it was a sneer, jeering at them like he'd already won. '

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

At Avenue D a ball of violent electrons trailed people as they scrambled in desperation. Screaming and shoving, knocking each other over. It was Atomic Skull, walking down the roads, his arms flexed as if he were unafraid while he walked on water.

But as he walked, only death surrounded him, only death fell before his feet. His glow was violent, the purple had returned at full intensity.

Superman had arrived too late. He saw the bodies left in ashen, a trail of his destruction for the Man of Steel to follow and mourn.

'Michaels!' he called out, trying to get the walking nuclear bomb to stop.

Luckily it worked and Atomic Skull's reign of terror came to a stand-still. He looked behind him, at the man in the sky. 'I was hoping you'd show up.'

'You murdered them…for bait?!'

'Hey, you do what you do…' his glow intensified even further, 'and you do what you do.'

Superman felt his fists harden like iron and pushed through the air. Skull intercepted him with a matched lift off, smashing them both into a building behind them. In response, he started throwing punches. They each exchanged powerful blows that pushed them across the city.

They found themselves at Time Square, the atomic metahuman started throwing balls of burning fire. Clark assumed he was purposely causing endless destruction because if he was actually aiming for the Superman, he was way off.

When that wasn't going his way, he picked a street light straight off the concrete and batted the Kryptonian around. _**BOOM…CRASH!**_

After four or five more hits that totally trashed the statue of Lex Luthor in the piazza, Clark caught the post and snatched away Skull's weapon. With one swoop, he smashed the metahuman high into the skies. Superman then flew up to meet him and punched him down again.

He landed on the roof of an apartment. 'Alright, that's enough, buddy,' he floated down to him.

Atomic Skull just needed to shake his head of the ringing in is ears. He grabbed a huge air conditioner and threw it at the flying man.

Superman caught it and threw it back, knocking him off the roof where he then smashed him back into the streets below.

Their fight lasted a couple more seconds when they began moving towards a heavily inhabited part of town. The nearby police wasted no time to try and evacuate the new battle zone.

A young officer of the Met.P.D was getting the last few people out onto Avenue X, in a very unfortunate turn of events, they grabbed Atomic Skull's attention, managing to get Superman off his back for a brief moment, he thought to distract the Man of Steel. A stream of plasma rays were speeding toward them.

He found his blasts blocked however. Superman winced as he struggled to stand aground and the blast was pushing him back. 'Go,' he murmured to the people behind him. 'Quickly, get out of here, it's not safe!'

After they left, Superman began to force himself forwards, forcing the blasts to allow him movement, one step at a time. He felt a small cleft in the ground below him, just what he needed, he pushed down on the crack and launched at him into a sprint where he took hold of the maniacal Atomic Skull. Hooked under his arms, Superman launched straight up like a rocket, _**WHOOSH…BOOOM!**_

'What are you doing?!'

Next, Superman came to a stop, seeing the lake in the middle of Citizen's Park, he threw the hostile Metahuman into the water. At first contact, Skull started to fizz up until the lake was completely dried up, and Michaels was rendered unconscious.

Superman hovered over, as did a couple of officers to help detain Atomic Skull, the man was no longer glowing, he looked rather human now, a little more pale than normal, a lot skinnier. Clark could see flesh and bone exposed all over. 'Gentlemen, I'd be cautious about this one,' he told them. 'Cautious but not rough. He's been aggravated enough.'

The police didn't seem to know what to do. Some had their weapons aimed at Superman as well as Atomic Skull. 'Freeze, Superman,' Lieutenant Sawyer, a female police officer commanded him, a pistol aimed at his shield. 'I'm sorry but our prime directives are detailed to arrest and detain you.' They were all soon accompanied by a handful of guardians in police colours. Each of them held their arm canons at the alien. 'These guys were custom made especially for you.'

Superman took a ready stance as the robot giants made to move against him. He watched their eyes, flashing, first blue, and then purple.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

'Yes, I see it now,' Luthor exclaimed, nearly fully engulfed in the light. 'A singular government, a singular mind—a hive mind, that is how I will save this planet.' He looked down to General Lane and Brainiac. 'Don't you see, General, this world needs to be mine in order to survive. Humanity needs to be mine.'

'You're psychotic, Luthor,' he said, taking aim, 'a whole family of psychopaths.' He gave his men the order for shoot to kill and they all open fire.

Sam had seen a lot of things on duty to his country, but this was different. His men shot at Luthor but they barely even reached his mortal body. In fact, the cylinder of light that surrounded him seemed to absorb the bullets, holding them in suspension around him like planets around the sun. 'Power, I feel so much power around me, it was always there but I could never touch it…until now.'

'What is he talking about?' General Lane demanded of the hologram beside him.

'You must forgive the ramblings of a madman,' it said. 'I too am not accustomed to it but he has been exposed to a dark equation…Chaos it is called.'

'Are you telling me that a bunch of numbers is driving him insane?'

Braniac shook his head, his balled fists looked as almost like he was offended. 'No, not insane— enlightened,' he corrected, a tone of self-righteous confidence.

With that, Luthor raised his hands and a ringed blast of energy sprouted from the light. Sam braced himself but found it completely ignored him, instead, he was witness to his men falling to their knees, clutching their ears while blood trailed down from their eyes. They screamed out in what could be deduced as excruciating pain. And then, _**SPLAT!**_ Their heads exploded clean off.

Sam Lane could not believe it. He felt his hands trembling in terror, raised his gun to shoot but it would not fire. The general saw Lex Luthor open his eyes, now glowing white. He looked at him with a disturbing, unnatural glee and suddenly, he could no longer feel his body, his armed hand twisting around, holding the gun now to himself. 'No…no… what is this?!'

Brainiac approached him. 'A vessel of chaos, a constant unpredictable in this universe,' it spoke but the general could neither understand nor care much with his own gun pointed between his eyes. 'Kill him,' it ordered to the possessed billionaire.

Then, shots were fired, but not from General Lane. A bullet knocked the out of his hand and then another bang and the light that held Brainiac was gone, replaced by a hail of glass. Lois had arrived just in time, a pistol in hand she sprinted to her father and pulled him away from Luthor's angelic glow.

'Shit, dad, are you okay?'

It took Sam Lane a while to gather himself, but the sight of his little girl had given him a boost of energy to hoist himself to his feet again.

'We need to get you out of here.' Supported by his daughter, the two made their way out of the hanger and into the open.

'Has Superman returned yet?' he inquired of her.

Lois sighed and answered only with a slight shake of her head. 'What was that thing?' she asked him now. 'What happened to Luthor?'

After a brief moment of dizziness the general was back in action. He ordered his men to venture out, informing the units stationed in South Metropolis to enter a state of red alert.

High above the Earth as his ship took its position directly over Metropolis, Brainiac's computers started the procedure. _Collector Process Initiated…_

Back on Earth, in the hanger, a guardian had retrieved Lex Luthor and was making its way out of the atmosphere.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

He didn't know what had just happened, it all began in a flickering of their eyes, he could hear the computer inside, struggling to maintain control. One system fighting against another for command of the entire network, but one was manmade, the other, a living organism as old and powerful as the universe itself.

There was no contest.

Now Superman found himself fighting off the guardians that once patrolled the city. But they weren't fighting him in particular, they weren't fighting at all, only fending off what came between them and their real targets… the citizens.

He saw them, pick off people from the ground at random. What were they doing?!

He managed to get a hold of Lieutenant Sawyer and suggested she get as many people off the streets and either underground or within buildings. 'What will you be doing?' she asked.

Clark looked up in the sky where he saw a man was unconscious in the arms of another guardian, heading straight upward. 'The best I can, Lieutenant.' He finished off with a salute and jumped into flight.

He sped right into the robot and caught the man, speedily dropping him off for the cops to take care of. In the sky he saw more of the same. Hundreds of robot giants flying in synchronised formation, each with at least one person in their chrome talons.

At first, the Kryptonian defender seemed invisible to them. He managed to rescue the kidnapped hostages, leaving a small explosion of the guardians. They numbered in thousands, left unconscious, but what Clark realised was that they seemed to radiate a certain shall we say…aura around them…a black one.

Below him, the military rolled in. Tanks, jeeps, armoured trucks with soldiers jumping off of them, ready for action. There were no guardians in their ranks, Clark was grateful for that. There was no way that Luthor would leave even a single one of his creations out of the web. Sure enough though, his invisibility had rubbed off and the machines that once protected the masses, started shooting sonic pulses from their hands and their targets?

…Everything.

It became such a mess of chaotic disorder, almost a warzone. Tanks began shoot them out of the skies and the ones that missed, threatening to destroy the buildings, Clark redirected towards their true targets.

So far however, it wasn't going as smoothly as that, especially when the air-force entered the fray.

But they were winning. _GD F-16 Falcons_ zoomed past him, formidable weapons, he was sure, but as he was witness to, they started flying in too close to tight corners. _Way too confident_, he thought.

The Guardians were actually far well-formed than they were, breaking apart into two teams with defined roles—one to collect hostages while the other team were on offensive, targeting the planes and trying their hand with Superman.

"Kal-El," the computer started speaking. "Can you hear me?"

It was the robot from the Fortress, 'Four?'

"It is Kelex, sir."

He smiled at the robot's insistence. 'What is it, Kelex?'

"Sir, I have an unidentified patch requesting access to communications."

Clark thought it was odd but told the robot to give the patch access, while at the same time, he found himself being tailed by a couple of guardians.

'Hey, sup Clark,' came the sound of some much needed help.

Seeing her face again had made him grin from ear to ear, 'Lea? Now there's a familiar face.'

The young Luthor smiled back with a salute thrown in and continued her work on whatever computer screen she had on. 'Listen, I'm trying to trace a signal that seems a whole lot different than ones I'm used to,' she said, sounding impressed. 'In short, it isn't hackable, which is why we're here now. Dad thought he had control,' there was a slight hint of laughter in her tone.

So it really wasn't Lex Luthor behind this?

'From what I know, my dad's been talking to some sort of super computer.'

'Brainiac,' he told her, he began blocking his face from the barrage of iron punches. 'He's controlling the guardians.' He struck a mighty blow that sprayed the guardian's pieces through the air.

'Not just the guardians,' she gasped. 'This Brainiac is responsible for literally jumpstarting humanity's technological advancements. He's got his fingers, pretty much everywhere.'

What she said was further realised when fighter jets started falling from the skies, crashing into the streets, causing explosions that engulfed thousands of escaping citizens. Clark hurriedly flew in to rescue as many people as he could, but he also needed to think about the end game here. 'Okay, we need to find a way to take them all down before they start taking lives here.'

'Alright, hold on, Clark.' While he waited, Superman engaged another robot with police colours. Both exchanged a series of punches, some successful, others were a result of fighter jets firing at them…so a miss then.

It wasn't long until he found himself swarmed by technologically advanced giants. 'Now would be nice, Luthor!'

'Hey, I talk to you for one minute and you're already insulting me!'

'I just think that time is of the essence.'

A Metropolis Police guardian heaved him straight through a hospital while more of the citizens tried to escape. After getting free he flew outside again…but he was brought to an abrupt pause. Everything was on fire now. Time was of the essence.

Planes, small ones, big ones and even bigger ones, crashed through the city's streets right before his eyes. He saw people dying…hear people screaming…no, he heard every scream throughout Metropolis.

'Natasha, run!' A family was attempting to clear away from the buildings, they started falling behind when a jet filed missiles at an airborne guardian, pushing the robot straight into the building beside them, sending debris falling. The little girl, Natasha had fallen behind, nearly tripped over her own feet. Her father picked her up and with his fee hand, grabbed his wife's hand.

As they ran, the building rained down upon them, faster than a streak of lightning, Superman caught them and flew off. 'Hold on tight,' he insisted. He dropped them off at the bridge heading out of the city where people had begun gathering.

He was stopped by the man, filled with amazement and gratitude. While couple of soldiers came to examine them, not really regarding Superman's presence—which he was thankful for, the man asked him how he could repay his kindness, his family was now safe, not much as a scratch on them.

Clark smiled to himself. Perhaps he was too used to people looking at him with suspicion or hatred. But the man had a sort of friendliness to him that he missed when he first left Smallville. So Clark merely told him to live a life worth saving, 'Which, I hope means living the way you are now.'

'Henry,' his wife called, gesturing him over to where they were being processed by the authorities.

They were all interrupted when a guardian smashed its way into the crowd. 'Go, Mr Irons,' he pushed. 'Get everyone to safety.'

He then drew to the mechanical monster, just standing there. 'I know it's you, Brainiac.' His announcement was met with a cold and lifeless glare. Its eyes began to turn purple which was a signal for Clark to tense his fists.

'Kal-El, have you accepted my proposal?'

Clark was left in awe at the ridiculousness of the situation he was in. He gestured behind him, to the chaos, 'Why all of this destruction?'

'Initially there wasn't any, not in my intent, but lives had to be harvested.'

Clark shook his head in disbelief. 'What are you?'

'If you need to ask, then you haven't been paying attention, Kal-El,' a sound escaped the robot as what could only be described as a sigh of annoyance and expectation. 'Perhaps my impression of you was incorrect. You are not yet ready for the burden of the universe.'

As they talked, Leanna's voice returned to his cowl. 'Clark, I have something that may help, it'll render every guardian patched on the same foreign frequency incapacitated for a day at the most.' Things were looking up… 'But I'll need an executive system,' she informed him. 'Look for one of the big ones.'

For some reason now, Clark could focus, more clearly. He should have had a plan for this from the beginning but it was hard to admit he barely had a plan above save as much lives as he could. But maybe now he could save all of them.

'…Perhaps you never will,' Clark almost forgot that Brainiac was even there. 'You have been corrupted by humanity.' Clark's ocean blue eyes cringed at it. He was suddenly wishing he'd ignored it further. Then without another word, the purple left from the mechanical law-enforcer's glowing lenses. '_Access, Kryptonian._'

In anticipation, Superman lunged forward at it, but its metal hand caught his and swung him back into the towering city.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

The Command Centre was bursting with frantic movement. Cross referencing what was going on in Metropolis to what was happening all across the country.

'Where are we with signal jamming?!'

'General Lane, we can't identify or even match the signal the Brain Interface is emitting,' a corporal explained. 'So far anything we hit its central computer, something pushes it back. We're officially out of the system.'

Lane had to bit his tongue hard to keep from spraying his men with curses. _Should have known better than to trust a Luthor_, he thought to himself in spite.

The other Lane was with the scientists back at the interrogation room, helping them sort out their files. Papers were flying everywhere, blown away by the air conditioning seeping through the massive hole in the wall.

That was not how she'd expected her day to go. They had the television onto the news where coverage detailed what Iris West identified could well be an invasion of some kind.

She said that Metropolis was now cut off electronically. No cell phone, no internet, nothing with a frequency or electrical current was operational.

'What do you think is happening out there, Doc?'

Emil joined her in thought, looking up at the screen. He remained silent for a while but as soon as the camera started following Superman as he saved a family from a shower of metal and glass, he smiled, only for a moment though. 'This Brainiac is a systems interface far beyond anything human based.'

She frowned, a little confused. 'It's alien technology?'

'Beyond that, Ms Lane,' he replied mysteriously. 'This thing is far advanced than mortal made, more like a being onto itself. What I know for certain now is that Brainiac may well be the catalyst for human science and technological advancements today.'

'That's one hell of an advantage he has over us.'

Emil nodded in agreement, but his companion seemed unsure. 'At least we're not completely defenceless,' said one of his senior advisors.

'We still have a protector out there,' said another.

Dr Hamilton then turned to Lois and asked what became of Lex Luthor. Lois merely shrugged her shoulders. 'I genuinely have no clue,' she told them with the least bit of sympathy or concern on her tanned face. 'One moment he was normal, well as normal as I see most rich and powerful guys—power hungry and thinking he were a god. Then things got weird, Brainiac appeared and Lex actually did think himself a god. After that he killed off some of my father's men, and even tried to kill my dad as well if I hadn't have shot that the generator where it was coming from.'

The scientists moaned, sorrowful over the deaths. Also troubled by the prospect that Brainiac had complete control of their technology, Emil suddenly felt compelled to shut down the power around the hanger area. But just as he was about to flip the switches, the ceiling exploded above them, throwing them to the ground, all except Dr Hamilton, standing there in the middle of the room as a guardian descended from the fresh hole.

He was somewhat transfixed, as if his mind was no longer his own. He started to approach the guardian, as its eyes intensified in violet.

Seeing her final chance, Lois ran to the defenceless doctor and shoved him out of whatever that ray was. Instantly, her eyes started to glow purple as well and now she was moving like a mindless zombie, straight into the mechanical monster's awaiting arms.

For the good doctor and his colleagues, they were conscious long enough to see the reporter vanish with the robot, bursting out from the hanger roof, vanished into the sunlight.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**THIRTY MINUTES INTO BATTLE…**_

Clark tried—honestly he tried his hardest to keep the fight airborne, but after a few punches, he heard things collapsing on the ground. He unleashed a series of thundering blows to every guardian around him and zoomed down just in time to catch a three tonne sign that had fallen, from crushing a group of people in downtown Metropolis.

From the ground, some of the citizens were left helpless, watching the alien zooming in the sky, mechanical titans hot on his every move. They crashed through crystal skyscrapers, toppling cranes, and setting buildings aflame to try and get the drop on their foe. One guardian in particular, a larger one than the others, military camouflage shell had been seen shooting lasers from its eyes like Superman could, as well as the resilience and speed to endure every punch he threw at it. It was a juggernaut, a menacing hulking figure and Clark felt afraid now.

Needless to say, some of the Metropolites were growing anxious. Things were getting a little harder now. Under the strain, his helmet was cracked, the left side of his face was now exposed and he could speak with neither Kelex nor Lea again.

Again he tried countless times to bring the battle further out of town, but no doubt that Brainiac saw this, they did everything in their power to drag him back to the city. Superman soon found himself surrounded again. The larger one appeared before him. Clark threw in a punch overhead but the Juggernaut somehow managed to catch it and flung him over its shoulders. Next thing he knew, he was on the other side of Metropolis, and in his entry, the _Utopia Casino_ had fallen.

Enraged, Superman shot himself towards the expressionless robot. He was only a mile away when two other guardians smashed into him from the side, holding him in a violent embrace, intent to squeeze the life out of him.

Hovering by himself above a school, the Juggernaut sent a large globe of pulsing energy zipping towards him like a bullet. He tried to wriggle out of the incredibly tight grip of the one holding him. Finally he shot up just in time to evade the blast.

Unfortunately, an airstrike had flown in trying to help him but they didn't stand a chance, in fact, these guardians were designed to replace them. The robots rounded on them, crawling everywhere like roaches…giant metal cockroaches.

'Eject, eject, eject!' Clark heard one of them yelling. But they were too late and each plane totalled every tower in the vicinity.

Tallest among them was Baxter's Tower, a building of glass. The residence totalled eight hundred when it should have been zero by now.

He heard the foundations below the building break. It was falling apart into bits of broken glass and metals, raining down on the people in the opposite building. _**CRASH! **_Baxter's Tower collided with the weaker Skyland Hotel. Inside, people were running away from the catastrophic disaster threatening to step on them. They wouldn't get away fast enough…

Superman zoomed in and held the skyscraper with every limb at his disposal, every fibre of his being. It was far more difficult than he expected. It dragged him down with it though he did notice it was slowing down. He was gritting his teeth now, sweat beading down his face, the metal beam he held was bending but somehow, the building as a whole remained intact—a side of him that he had yet to master.

In the lobby he could still see a group of teenagers standing in the middle, in a state of erratic bewilderment. He shouted at them, 'Everybody out!'

They complied, only too happily, scrambling out onto the streets as carefully yet as quickly as possible. _Good_, thought Clark, 'Now where to put this building?' But right that instance, he found he could not move, well beyond the shaking in his arms. He was about to let go when he heard crying in the rubble beneath him.

Digging her way out of it he saw a nine year-old girl, crying for her parents. Amidst the crying, he could hear the buzzing of electricity, running wild but nothing else. Not another sound.

'Psst…hey, little girl,' he called. She looked up with her watery eyes. Clark tried to smile at her, until he realised he was still hidden behind the visor. 'Um, I'm going to need you to get out of the building, okay? Get to safety.'

Timidly she got to her feet, still crying she looked around her, a drizzle of dust and sparks settled about her. She chose on an exit and ran toward it…then another sound entered his mind.

In-coming!

The Juggernaut guardian crashed through and before he could do a damn thing, the machine tackled him out. Behind them he heard the building finally collapse. But his eyes widened of fear for the little girl. Though presently, his concerned switched as the guardian bulldozed him through even more glass sky scrapers and concrete towers.

Clark tore himself free of the metal giant and power punched him away. Followed that up by speeding to it and threw in another punch.

From Downtown Metropolis, back to the Financial District, then all the way to Kennedy Drive, they fought. The giant even resulted to firing het sensing missiles at him from his arms.

At the centre of the city he took hold of the Juggernaut by the shoulders, ripping off the small rocket launchers there and flew him high above the clouds. After much resistance, Clark decided to move to the back and push it from there. His destination: Outer space, or at least past a few layers of the atmosphere.

Once he felt the difference in not just atmospheric pressure, but the lack of gravity he had to fight off, Superman tossed it forward. But he wasn't finished.

With his remaining strength, he met the lump of steel at the edge of space and hammered it back down. He could hear the crack of sound upon re-entry. Then with a final _**KBOOOM!**_ The battle ended, the robot was left in a crater about twenty metres in diameter.

Superman floated down but not into the crater. From the edge he peered down to see what remained of the Juggernaut after speeding from ten kilometres within the thermosphere. His chest was heaving, his posture a little sluggish with fatigue. His mask was ruined, non-functional and pointless at this stage, thus he tore it off. In fact, he ended up tearing off the remainder of his armour, pauldrons, gauntlets, and some sort of neck brace too. Only the alien fabric remained with the metal plating of his shield and his belt.

He stood atop the crater, fists clenched, drenched with blood and sweat. He flew down to the torso—or what remained lain upon the dirt. Under the chest plating was a beeping box, a brain with three purple orbs arranged in an upside-down triangle. He took out his own phone and attached the box to it, telling Lea, hoping that she could stop them.

'Sure thing,' she responded. 'Leave it to me.' He did so with haste and the chortle and loud, excited laughter from the other line was any indication, she had this. He then asked if he should destroy them once their disabled. She assured him that it wasn't necessary.

Guardians all over the city were starting to drop down like flies. He got that to mean that Leanna was successful. _**THUD…THud…Thud…thu**__d…thud…_ Then it was silent again.

'You're going to have to come at me with something a lot better than that, Brainiac.'

The dust began to settle, dispersing through the area, revealing the entire street of people gathering around him. He looked down at the broken visor in his hand and let it drop. Blank faces stared down at him, blank faces that became a little bit cautioned when he hovered out of the pit. Clark then looked around him, waiting for their next moves.

When last he was in such a situation, they saw fit to drive him away. Now they seemed uncertain. To be honest, Clark wasn't sure what he expected their reactions to be. All this destruction…would they trust him with security again? Did they ever trust him with it?

Once the falling stopped, all eyes were on him again. An awkward moment definitely, one riddled with uncertainty and doubt.

Then, unexpectedly, or at least to Clark, the sound of cheering exploded. All of Metropolis that had gathered around him was now cheering for him, clapping for him. Their faces became one he was quite familiar with, one he hadn't seen in a while now. Surprisingly it was one he never expected to miss so much. So he stayed there, standing as they started roaring out his name like a victory cry. _SUPERMAN, SUPERMAN, SUPERMAN!_

He smiled back at them and even waved. But he knew his job was not over yet. He lifted off the ground and began to ascend into the skies again but not without reassuring them that he'd return to help out. Especially as he saw the destruction he'd caused even from way up in the sky.

With a last wave to his people and lopsided smirk, the Man of Steel vanished in a sudden _**BOOM**_.

**-=O=-**

**-=]RISE[=-**

**Author's Note: Thanks again for sticking around this far. Not long to go and I will also try to do the Wonder Woman and Batman fics I have too. Someone also wanted me to finish off some of my old Merlin stories as well, not sure if I'll be able to but we'll see.**

**With this scene, to me anyway, I saw that the conclusion to the Metropolis battle in Man of Steel was not as nicely done as I'd have liked. Personally I believe that Clark should have been fighting Zod while the Phantom Zone was pulling the former inmates inside again. This way he probably woundn't have had to kill Zod. I know that people believe that him taking a life now would be the catalyst that earns him his no kill rule, but still, it seemed too rushed to start the Superman vs Zod fight before dragging on for ages. Meanwhile, if the fight was right after they opened the portal, and beside fighting each other they were also fighting the pull of the singularity, would have made their fight more intense and also leave room on a filmmaker's artistic style, for Metropolis' reaction to the appearance of Superman. Probably some cheering and more chances for CK to smile at them in a Superman way, acknowledgement that all of Metropolis now loves him, like what happened in Godzilla.**


	30. Up, Up And Away

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

**UP, UP AND AWAY**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**SMALLVILLE, KANSAS.**_

'Ma, are you alright?' he called for his mother as soon as he touched ground outside their house. 'Ma, where are you.'

To his relief, Martha answered her son's calls. 'I'm here, Clark,' she said, emerging from the house. 'I'm alright.' She was limping, her hand on her left hip as she walked. A quick X-ray showed she wasn't in critical harm, all the same, the very thought curled the young man deeply.

The two embraced, Clark being careful not to cause her any more discomfort with the metal shield on his chest.

'Nice suit, son?' she chuckled, tightening her hug.

Clark smiled widely as he deepened the hug, he felt like he would never let go. For Martha, though she remained silent she could distinctly feel her little boy shivering. He tried to lessen it but she could tell whatever he was doing was not helping. 'I'm so, sorry, ma,' he said, finally, though it came out as a reluctant whimper. 'I'm…'

'Clark, it's okay,' she said. 'Look at me, I'm perfectly fine.'

Clark nodded and broke apart from his beloved mother. He took a deep breath in and the two made their way into the kitchen. Martha began boiling some water for tea and asked Clark if he'd want some. He said yes. Then she asked him if he himself was okay.

'Clark, you know I can take care of myself, I'm not entirely helpless.'

'I know it's just…' he looked at his red boots, innocently embarrassed. 'I created Nightwing, Superman, I wore the glasses, wore the hat, kept myself hidden, so that I could keep you, Lana and Pete, all of Smallville, safe from me, from the life I was delving in.'

She walked up to him, his little boy, all grown up, standing at the counter. Her hand was placed on his where still a hint of his fearful heart lingered, she sighed. 'Son, I wish I could take your doubts away from you,' she confessed, softly. 'I can't tell you how Smallville would be if you'd stayed here and not gotten involved with the world. Would we truly be safe still? And interesting question, I'm sure, but a dangerous one too. What you can do now is live with your choices. If the world was threatened by whatever that thing was before, in a world that never saw Superman, would you do nothing?'

On those words his mother said, Clark contemplated for a second. His thoughts were interrupted however, by the ringing of his phone. It was Leanna Luthor, and she sounded rather distressed.

'Clark, I'm getting a patch from a Pentagon sanctioned frequency near your vicinity. Looks like it's General Lane.'

Superman groaned, but told her to give him clearance in a moment. Leaving his mother in the living room, he went over to the barn and prepared himself for the hardened general. He was rather shocked however to come face to face with a life sized hologram of the man emanating from his phone.

He looked different somehow, the general. He seemed a little tired, or as distressed as he himself was before about his mother. 'What can I help you with, General Lane?'

It looked as though the uptight man was fighting his own internal demons regarding him—curious. He clenched his fists and wiped his face a little bit, was he wiping away tears?

'You may have saved the people of Metropolis, Superman, but the job aint finished.' He took a breath in to compose himself further. 'While you were engaged with the rogue Guardians, more than a hundred individuals all over the world have been taken by the robots…including…including Lex Luthor and…and my daughter, Lois.'

Clark's eyes widened exponentially at the news. Lois had been kidnapped?

But the general was not finished. 'Reports have concluded that they were targeting some of Earth's top minds, ranging from almost every field in advanced science and philosophy. Lois was trying to save Dr Hamilton when she was taken.'

'Where're they taking them?'

'You might want to check the city for that answer, son.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**METROPOLIS**_

The centre of the city was the showroom for science and technology—HQ for S.T.A.R. Labs, factory floor for Kord Industries, and LexCorp's birthplace. But now, there was another attraction in Metropolis.

A giant pyramid, like those in Egypt had appeared from the skies, hovering brazenly above Citizen's Square.

They were beginning to think that it was all over. Superman had saved the day. Most of the inner city was evacuated though areas like the Western and Industrial Districts still populated. In those areas, the people were taken to the shelters for safety.

Jimmy was on his way home when the battle began, he was taking the subway from Main but the commotion upstairs had the train stationary for a few hours. Heather Kelley and Lombard were with him, which made for some awkwardness between him and Clark's ex-girlfriend.

He had his phone out and tried to make contact with Mr White, but it wasn't able to dial when everything went black. On his screen was just static with a bit of code lining around the place. Then the words appeared within, YOU HAVE BEEN DECIEVED!

They were all there when Brainiac made his speech about the government and when they finally escaped, they entered a warzone. They saw Superman zipping through the air, they saw him rescue as many people as he could. They saw him fighting both the rogue guardians as well as U.S fighter planes that misfired.

Now, as he stared out into the daylight, onto the city he loved, he started doing his job, snapping pictures at the anomaly. 'Where do you think Superman went?' he asked Heather, standing beside him.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

Clark stood outside his barn, staring far into the direction of Metropolis but it wasn't that hard to spot the giant mothership floating in the clouds. It was massive, far bigger than his Fortress of Solitude, and his place was actually big enough to now hold the Titanic in a room close to the top.

This one was far larger, and darker, a bit more unrefined and so far it was doing nothing but staying still. It must be Brainiac's ship.

'What do I do?'

General Lane chuckled lightly, 'I was hoping you'd have the answer to that.'

Then Leanna's voice entered the conversation along with her own personal holographic image, taking the form of a female Roman mask. 'Umm, I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but I believe the situation is about to get a whole lot worse.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well, I'm digging further into my d...Mr Luthor's work, I've found a top secret project somewhere in the Indian Ocean.' Leanna leaned in closer to the monitor eyes squinting, head tilted before she gasped. 'It's designated Project Centre...I think he'd drilling into the Earth's core?'

He didn't like the look of this—this whole situation that is. 'What do I do?'

His genius companion shrugged bashfully as she cut her feed. Clark couldn't do this on his own, he was willing to accept that. It took him ages to dispatch the guardians, now he needed to fight the boss. He went into the house to tell his mother that he needed to leave. But Martha stopped him for a moment. Perhaps she could see right through him, at the concern and fear in his core. 'I have something for you, Clark,' she beamed at him and walked over to the cupboard in the pantry. When she emerged, she had in her hands a folded piece of red cloth. Clark saw a shape on the cape, a symbol…his symbol, shining gold S shield of House El.

'My father wore this…' he sighed, touching the emblem. It was a strange feeling, the fabrics, not material-wise though that too was peculiar, but a deeper connection that left a tremble in his heart.

His mother smiled at his look of astonishment. 'Twenty four years ago we found you, wrapped in this. We didn't know what that sign meant, but we carried it with us all this time so maybe you would.' She then stopped, perhaps unsure of herself. 'You used to worry that you were a burden, son, that you were the cause of all of our strife. I don't want you to feel apologetic all the time, neither of us did, but let me tell you this, when you found us, you made your father and I the most happiest people on the planet.'

He smiled at his mother, at his dear mother who raised him up from infancy. She helped him attach the crimson cape and he placed his hands on both of her arms, smiling down at her in earnest love. 'No matter where I go…this place will always be my home,' he brought her in for a hug once again, 'and you will always be my mother.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBIT AROUND THE EARTH**_

He tasted this before, impending defeat at the hands of those of lesser power than himself. Brainiac growled in the emptiness.

It wasn't fair, he deserved far better than this. He enabled the rise of civilizations, the blooming of worlds. He was a god, he was worshipped, feared, loved even. But that all changed. The rules have changed. The Guardians of the Universe have decided he was no longer tolerable.

Oh how he hated the Guardians and their Green Lantern Corp.

The cybernetic entity tried to lift himself up onto his feet but soon found it close to impossible. He was getting angry, with each passing second he could feel the rage building up—a rather mortal feeling he was unsure of what to make of, a parting gift from the human Lex Luthor.

Perhaps he underestimated the tenacity of these humans, the usefulness of their feeble lives?

A monitor appeared in front of him, displaying the orb-shaped Earth. He was weak but he still had enough strength to control his own ship.

The displayed Earth showed blips of flashing light, warm signals that represented his technological footprint. And with one thought, he was going to leave Earth in the dark once again, especially after his ship picked up thousands of his robot servants entering the ship's hanger. They all opened up and began process to transport their human subjects to individual pods.

The best and brightest minds Earth had to offer…and Lex Luthor, the one with the Equation. Brainiac would extract it from his very flesh if he had to.

'I am the creator of a thousand worlds,' he boomed. As he looked down upon Earth, he tilted his head forward as though to smile. What is Earth but a ball of dust in the infinite cosmos. 'I am destroyer of billions more,' he roared further. He tried to leave his chair but found a pull lure him back down. The alien AI was still too weak in the physical form. He slumped back, inclined to let the ship reconnect with him and proceed to his repair. A soft sound. a whisper escaped his mechanical voice box, 'I am the destroyer of billions...'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**ARCTIC CYRCLE**_

There, atop the world, the sun shone quite a bit brighter there, the wind blew cooler. Clark stood before his Fortress of Solitude, so isolated there on its own, yet it never seemed like a sad notion—isolation, looking around his plane of existence he saw nothing but an ocean of white snow and blue mountain chains in all directions.

The whistling of the icy breeze flows through his cape, making it dance around behind him.

Inside the fortress, a slight chill in the air as the arctic wind entered with him. Clark looks around, it seemed empty. His walks create clanking noises as he walked, so loud they echoed for a few more minutes without dimming.

He got to the archives where the robotic caretakers, buzzing from one side to the other in maintenance of the knowledge of Krypton, came to an abrupt halt. They all stood there, still as they looked at him. Then they straightened up and they all raised their right hands to their chests, where their heats could have been, in salute.

Clark didn't know what to do. He walked down the aisle, nodding at their sign of respect. Soon he was confronted by a Four. 'Welcome back, master.'

'Kelex,' the humbled Superman tried. 'I am no master of yours.'

It nodded slightly and placed a hand on his shoulders that bore the red cape. 'You have embraced your heritage, Kal-El. We will serve you until the Hour.'

Clark could all but smile in return and understanding. He walked up to the platform where he studied and the room exploded in information. 'Computer, access all known and restricted information on the Artificial Intelligence Brainiac Prime.'

'_Access denied under Kryptonian sanction under the Elder Council of Kandor.'_

Clark grumbled.

'Try Access Key: _Shahrrehth nim uskehm'i ra'in una Rao_.' Clark looked behind him where his father…the artificial projection of him stood with his hands on his lap, Detective Jones stood beside him.

'Kryptonian?' Clark asked to which both bobbed their heads.

'It is an ancient tongue not used since the fall of the Rin Dynasty,' Jor-El explained. 'It is a language that Krypton had forsaken.'

Then Jones began speaking. 'In Kryptonian, it means "Hope is risen from the ashes of faith," In the passage of the Book of Rao, speaks of the Flame-bird, the phoenix.'

Clark nodded and repeated the words as best he could. 'Access Key: _Shahrrehth nim uskehm'i ra'in una Rao_'. It took a couple of tries but soon the computer accepted his try at the lost language. 'I need to know how to defeat it.'

The computer gave him full access to information, but they were all as baffled by his inquiry as he was. He saw ancient depictions of a man, a giant with green skin, standing above his subjects, all alien art from thousands of worlds outside of the galaxy. He was revered, a god in so many planets whose looked up to him for guidance. He saw engravings from the inhabitants of a planet in the Kalium Galaxy. They talked about Brainiac granting them fire from the heavens in the way of Prometheus to humanity.

What was he?

Brainiac was not considered something to just discard. One would assume that throwing off the switch would be enough but as it turns out, Brainiac is an entity of its own, a deity even. Plus he needed to find a way to safely get the prisoners back to Earth as well.

'What is he?'

Jor-El sighed and lifted his finger where all of the monitors disappeared. 'His origins are not known. Not much of him is. Only that he was Krypton's new god. He unlocked the potential of many worlds. Civilizations flourished under his teachings. He taught us the way of the universal language, and how to manipulate it, how to use it and create devices…soon he helped us create weapons.

'On Krypton he was discovered by the scientist Dax-Ur of Argo nearly seventy thousand star-years before the destruction of Krypton. The young student came across an equation within one of the temples dedicated to Rao. Thereafter he started work ebbing away at the errs until the interface was found.'

'Who…who is he, who is Brainiac?'

Jones sighed, shaking the memories from his head, a pointless gesture however. 'Brainiac Prime is a monster, Kal-El,' he finally said. He helped him onto his feet and Superman quickly began working.

'I need your help finding a way to save them, to save this planet from Brainiac.' He recalled what his mother had said, something about a battery.

The two beings looked at each other, only Jones showed some surprise (Considering Jor-El was merely a shadow). 'A Coluan Battery is a cylindrical capsule that contains the compressed energy of a sun, I used that same technology to power the craft that brought you to Earth,' Jor-El explained, a little hesitant about the facts but it was Jones who opened up with an idea of his own.

'But over time that energy will develop itself, develop mass,' he said, rubbing his chest inquisitively.

'You are suggesting that we utilise this and create a singularity?'

Clark needed to stop them before they sped up too fast for him to keep up, asking if that was possible or even safe. 'There are human lives aboard Brainiac's ship, all of which have an intelligence level between 110 and 140.'

'Then the process has begun,' his father had said and went to the control panel where he worked on a single crystal stationed at the centre. The panel lit up and Clark could even feel a grumbling at his feet of the fortress working at its maximum, and even that seemed like it was ripping the structure itself. 'The risks are high, but there may be merit to J'onn's plan. You have little time now, my son.'

The crystal began to hover off of its slot for them to behold.

'Inside contains the cosmic material needed to accelerate the rate of expulsion in which case you will have a limited amount of time to get as far away as possible which is why it is imperative that you use this once the prisoners are rescued.'

Clark nodded timidly, 'I understand, father.'

Jor-El then paused, looking at him for a moment. He asked him what was wrong and the reflection smiled. 'This cape was worn by our ancestors, Kal. Given to my father from his, and his father before him, on and on up until Kon-El himself.' He looked him in the eye. 'You were the embodiment of our dreams, my son— embodiment of our hopes for a better world than ours was. Perhaps if it were, then I would be embracing you now with my own arms.'

He held out his hands and Clark thought to take them in his, but he knew what would happen. He knew it wouldn't be real. His hands passed through his and the hologram vanished.

Jones came up behind him and comfortingly placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. Clark trained a whole year for this, more so in the way of saving as much as he could, but he needed to do more. He needed to save everyone. 'His legacy lives in you,' the Metropolitan detective told him. 'You can save them Kal, you can save them all. Now go.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

'_This is Iris West of Picture News, reporting from Metropolis' Financial District where a giant pyramid has appeared atop the Mayoral building late last night, just five hours after Superman's battle with the rogue Guardians. An ordeal which resulted in more than $700 billion in property damage as well as countless lives lost in the rubble._

_The remaining civilians were asked to evacuate to a military installation outside of the city districts earlier that day with the Mayor and his family among them. _

_It would also seem that the instance of rogue guardians is not a worldwide phenomenon, or even a national one. It would seem that the City of Tomorrow is the only place this has happened and officials deduce that if it weren't for the efforts of Superman, then this outbreak could have spread throughout the entire Secure Infiniti network._

_It is possible there is a link between Lex Luthor's mechanical monsters and the pyramid in Metropolis. No official word on either the whereabouts of the LexCorp CEO or whether his involvement in this catastrophe can be substantiated._

_As for the metahumans shown to us onscreen, a tragic event made even more so by its display to the masses, has yet to be confirmed. Nation state officials are reportedly investigating the matter… This just in: reports have come in that LexCorp CEO Alexander Luthor has indeed been taken by the Brainiac, as well as Daily Planet Reporter Lois Lane and a third of the United States population. Exactly what this means is still unclear and the Pentagon has also refrained from elaborating their plans to resc…'_

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

'I have a plan,' he announced as he entered the hanger. The legion stopped and stared at him, a little baffled by his presence, more so by the fact he was now unmasked. Nevertheless, Clark could practically hear the tension in the giant hanger base.

This one however, was not located in Kansas, instead the hanger base located south of Metropolis, was where he that experimental tank had come from, that terrorised the city before he left. Clark wondered if they'd realise that, though the young man made a mental note to check this place out.

'Stand down, men,' General Lane appeared, a look of endearment that told him there could be a thousand places he'd rather be in. 'He's on our side.'

Once they were as settled as they could possibly be, Clark went to work explaining the plan to them. 'Brainiac has something called a Coluan Battery, a containment of energy and mass, compressed more than a trillion times. Theoretically, it's the same energy that makes up a small sun or star.' He then presented them the small crystal, 'In this crystal are the data components to create dark matter. I need to get into that ship and inject the matter into the battery, force them to collide, create nuclear fusion.'

'You want to create a supernova?' guessed a young woman in front.

Clark grinned, 'In a way, Major Ferris but not entirely. I want to create its by-product—a black hole, or at least just the singularity. On my world they called it the Phantom Zone, a space in between dimensions, a limbo of sorts. I'm pretty sure that I can send whatever weapon Brainiac has into the black hole before it does anymore real damage.'

'What about the prisoners on-board?' The fifty-something army general asked impatiently. 'My daughter's in there, boy.'

Superman nodded and looked to the heavens. 'Once I insert the crystal I have approximately twenty minutes to get everyone out of there as quickly as possible.'

General Lane rounded on the alien, a look of fury in his hazel eyes. 'You want me to put everything, everyone at stake on your boasts of power.'

'That's the best I can do, general.'

The two were now nose to nose, staring each other down with contempt. 'I hope your arrogance doesn't get us all killed, Superman.'

Probably wasn't a good idea but Superman chose to ignore that last comment and walked over to the opening. 'The Coluan Battery is a last resort, General. I mean to confront Brainiac first, negotiate if I can and find a way to rescue the prisoners.'

Dr Hamilton soon walked beside him, looking up at the skies with him. The sun was risen, nine o'clock at best which illuminated the skies in fresh gold. But far off into the distance, an obstruction of the famous Metropolitan view in the form of an alien space ship. Even from where they were, outside of the actual city, Brainiac's vessel seemed titanic. Hovering ominously, rotating slowly as if it had a mind of its own.

Superman sighed to himself as he opened his eyes to the warmth, soaking in the sun's radiation. 'I don't suppose you've got any last minute advice on how to stop that thing?'

The S.T.A.R Labs doctor sighed nervously and patted him on the shoulder. 'Be careful up there, Mr Kent. Brainiac is a Super Intelligence, not just artificial, he's sentient— it will know every molecule in your body and how to engage it. Though I can't help you much, I can tell you; keep your mind focussed on the prisoners, stay clear of Brainiac or the battery until the others are safe.'

'Sounds like a plan.'

Before he moved though, Emil stopped him one last time. 'How are you planning on getting them safely out of there?'

'To be honest…' he looked at the older man now, 'I'm going to wing it for now.'

'Let's hope not all the way, sir.'

A slight chuckle was shared and Clark walked out onto the middle of the airstrip. He turned around and advised them all to stand back, a common question of manners, though unnecessary.

Inside, he was nervous, speaking on behalf of the rest of him. His head was going over the plan…the plan… The plan: board the ship, rescue prisoners while the military stay directly below and wait to collect them. Side objective (That was quickly becoming the main objective): Fuse crystal with Coluan Battery.

He crouched down, fists to the ground in a readying stance like an athlete's, as he felt the pulsing energy deep within. Breathe in, feel that which tithers you here, that drives you…_this is why I'm here._

With one powerful push, enough to crack the road surrounding him, Superman was airborne, faster than lightning he sped towards the pyramid with haste of determination. All the while down below, Metropolis watched in anticipation and excitement as their saviour ascended, high above the clouds.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

She woke to a sudden burst of erratic breathing, her own thumping heart. Lois' heart was racing, she found herself in an egg shaped pod with her last memories pertaining to a confrontation with one of those mechanical guardians…

Lois started to smash at the pod's glass casing. She then stopped herself, taking a deep breath in and produced a pair of knuckle busters from her pocket. The military trained reporter then began to pound away at the glass. She didn't know where she was, frankly she couldn't care less at the moment. She was being held against her will and she needed to escape.

It took ages, countless by her reckoning, until her fists were bloodied and bruised, only then did she finally see her confinements begin to break. She did not know what these things were made of but they sure as hell didn't shatter easy. Another series of punches and she was finally scots free, yet she fared no better than in that container. Where was she?

A wide winding corridor with human sized pods lining the walls, where was she?

She tore a small strip off of her shirt and wrapped in around her blood drenched hands before making her way down the pathway. As she passed she tapped on the glass, they were sleeping as far as she could tell.

The sound of distant clanking, banging of steel upon steel, and something akin to static. Her fists clenched in tighter. She looked around in her pockets and retrieved her phone which after seeing she had no reception wherever she was, decided to take photos of her surroundings. Of the people trapped in their pods. She was also left to ponder whey she had woken up whereas the others had not.

She was actually rather intrigued. That probably shouldn't be forefront on her mind though—she had no weapons, she must have left the gun back at the base, she also still had no clue on where she was. Dark, damp, though there was a smell in the air, like the rusted metal of an aged cargo ship.

The clanking got louder and as a result, Lois bolted the other way. Yet the sounds became louder, echoing around the tunnel like water.

She rounded a corner that contained a large window on her right…which had her stop. Her mouth left completely ajar at what lay before her…where was she?

Stars, she could see so many stars, and the moon in the distance…an assortment of colours and light below—Earth. She was in space?

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

In the Kandorian World Tower, a young scientist frustrated slid his hands all over the holographic projection in order to search through the files they contained, his patience running thin with each passing slide.

The Tower was a large cylindrical tower that reached far into the clouds, the central bank of all of Krypton's knowledge, when a discovery is made their work is given to the bank to be analysed and stored by Brainiac himself. Access was made possible by way of several hundred computer ports all over the tower's hollow structure, standing on cubed platforms that hovered and moved around.

His search hit a road block when the room began to light up, red. 'Good evening, Jor-El. How may I be of service?'

A furrow appeared on the scientist's features, a feeling of uneasiness. 'Just trying to access the data my research has uncovered.'

'You're research is public domain, I am surprised you would not wish to access it at the archives.'

'Funny, I didn't know anything surprised you, Brainiac,' Jor continued his search, paying no heed to Brainic's citing of the various laws. It was true he could easily find his work on the planet's core at the State Archives, but this AI that Krypton has been utilising to manage the planet's data and stability and really, just about everything else, would usually just collect and categorise—Jor-El suspected he was capable of far more.

Who's to say that Brainiac might not wish to make tweaks every now and then?

'That's strange,' he brought himself closer, 'Brainiac, why are you denying me access to the Project's Archive?'

A giant monitor appeared before him the size of a full ship. Three circles were displayed on the screen. 'As I have said, the work is public domain, all project files are.'

'Then there shouldn't be a problem with allowing me access to my own work from here.'

'Negative,' it's tone had suddenly changed, became a little bit hostile, no defensive. 'Systems are at high security mode.'

The scientist shook his head. 'I was not aware—'

'That is because you were suspended from the Council and any executive information is henceforth of no concern of yours.'

'Wow, that hurts my feelings.'

Suddenly Brainiac began to revert back to his polite tone of voice once again. 'Perhaps I can have your original paper sent to your personal computer—'

'That won't be necessary.' Jor-El turned his monitor off and stepped off the platform and onto the elevator down. 'Ground level,' he spoke and the elevator glowed bright blue and started to descend. But he didn't intend to stop at the lobby.

Level four hundred and seventy-one, Jor leapt onto the floor and ran to the central uplink station. In no time he managed to hack the locks and break in. A dark and mysterious room he knew no other Kryptonian beside the builders have ever seen before, glowing lighted rectangles on the walls started disappearing—block by block.

Careful were his steps, careful of his surroundings, Brainiac had eyes everywhere so he truly only had a moment to uncover the truth here. He got to the main computer, a single panel in the centre of the enormous room and started hacking away. It didn't take long.

'Jor-El, what are you doing?' Brainiac boomed on the scene in full holographic form. 'This is a breach of security, a violation of Code 1075-52. Cease your actions immediately or suffer the consequences.'

Ignoring the AI yet again, Jor-El continued his meddling but soon he came to yet again a sudden stop. His eyes widened. 'You're downloading. You're transmitting your memory to a geosynchronous satellite,' he exclaimed, turning his body to face the Artificial Bio-Intelligence. 'You're saving yourself.'

'I must,' was its answer to him. 'After all am I not the repository of all Kryptonian knowledge, should I not be saved above all?'

'But why lie to the others?' he asked, suddenly things were coming to light, a burden peeling off his back. 'If you knew that the planet is in peril why deny it to the Council?'

'Your people are like so many others, in the interest of self-preservation and survival, rationality is easily discarded,' Brainiac scolded. 'If the Council knew that Krypton was doomed, they would frantically put me to work calculating an evacuation plan…a futile gesture and with high risk to me, given the time remaining.

'I have alerted the authorities of the situation, Jor-El. You are in violation of Code 1075 sub-class 52 and are under house arrest until further notice.'

Two armed Kandorian Guards appeared and took the scientist by the arms, urging him in their direction and out into the city. Jor had only one course of action now. He needed to start his project himself. He had to tell his brother, maybe they could help out?

There was a small group of people waiting outside the Kandor's main gates. Supporters of Zod's rebellion come in to protest the further restrictions of the exploration sciences. There were also a couple of battalions heading their way. Jor quickened his pace away from the onslaught bound to ensue. He doubted he would be able to do anything now without the Council's close watch. _Zor-El will have to build a vessel of his own_.

Back in Kandor's cityscape, Lor-Van sat at his desk, looking through the battlefield plans for the raid on one of the rebellion's fortresses—_a weapons factory—how fitting._

'Brainiac, convene a last minute council meeting.'

The artificial intelligence appeared in his office but he did nothing. 'I have sent out the message, there will be a council in an hour. But I fear it will be redundant.'

Lor-Van picked his head up from his papers in curiosity. 'What do you mean by that?' It did nothing…just stared at him in silence. Feeling a little bit uncomfortable, his fists clenched. 'What do you mean by that, Brainiac?'

Still it remained wordlessly motionless, before finally it spoke again, cryptically yet left a churning in the pit of the Councilman's stomach 'Transaction complete,' it said. 'Farewell, Krypton…'

**-=O=-**

**-=]RISE[=-**

**Author's Note: Please forgive me for the lateness of this update. My computer is really starting to break down and making it really difficult to do anything on it. Plus it's Ramadhan so my priorities are sort of geared away from here.**

**Not to mention also that I've been having a lot of trouble with this site, I don't think it supports the new formats. Won't let me upload anything, so please bear with me.**

**Also I really hope I got the science down at least a little bit right here. I'm not an astrophysicist but I really hope I haven't insulted anyone with my low knowledge on the matter. I find science quite fascinating actually and in particular the cosmos. One of the many things I quite like about characters like Superman. **


	31. Brainiac Attacks

**Chapter Thirty**

**BRAINIAC ATTACKS**

Like the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Giza, brazen, proud, almost hewn of magnificent stone. It hovered threateningly above the city, forcing its citizens to gaze at it with fear and anticipation of their own impending doom. Wherever they were, in public shelters, bunkers or their own homes, they huddled close to their loved ones…the spaceship did nothing…it just stood there.

Up in the skies, Superman dashed on the scene. He flew around the superstructure to do a little recon and scope his options. He needed to find an entrance. And sure enough it followed a similar design to his Fortress. Close to the base, a hatch had opened for him.

He stayed floating in front of it for a few minutes as his cape danced in the wind. He was feeling edgy, no doubt it was a trap of some kind, but curiosity and the press for time had him fly right in, just as the doors slammed shut behind him. He flew a few for a few seconds and then went on foot, his eyes ready with Heat Vision in case he was ambushed, which the odds were quite likely.

The interior of the ship was actually rather different to the Fortress. Corridors were a lot bigger, probably able to fit seven cars side by side. Though seemingly of stone he realised the walls were made of a strange metal, carved on them all through the dark corridors were writings so alien even to him. He could not place them but they did somewhat resemble early Kryptonish script. Could this be a connection?

Sadly he could not ponder over that for very long as the wall opened up, standing there within was a guardian robot, only it looked different, less like the ones Lex Luthor designed and more like it was purposely alien. Nevertheless it had basically the same attitude as Lex's— sprang into action, punching him through the wall and into another tunnel where another robot stood in wait to smash him into the cold floor.

Immediately Superman flew off but was intercepted by yet another giant robotic hand swiped through the air, he caught it mid stride, holding it away with both his hands. 'I should have known this was a set up.'

A third set of fists came from the side, sending the little Kryptonian deeper into the vessel, piercing through the walls until he was allowed to stop within a large chamber, similar to his Ceremonial Hall. He was joined now by six colossal robots, now he saw more of the differences. Shining bronze plating with Brainiac's circles motifs more prominent on their faces.

They all came in and began a round of keep-ups with their victim, tossing Superman and beating him like a baseball. Finally one punched him to the centre of the empty hall. Circling around him they began to shoot streams of lasers from their hands. He soon found himself enveloped in their blasts.

They began to close in, moving nearer and as they did so, the intensity of their fire grew. Clark was blinded. But he wasn't finished.

When they were close enough he fired his own series of punches, hitting them away from him long enough to get away. Alas it wasn't successful. He found himself pulled down and hammered back into the ground.

After some more attempts, he was even able to rip one's arm out of its socket and bludgeon it with its own severed limb. 'Who else wants some!' he taunted. Another one swooped in on his blind side and managed to hold him down with just one hand while the other made threated to strike a decisive blow. They were all crowding around him now.

Superman, with his eyes burning red, sliced through the one holding him, cutting him clean in half. He stood before them, hands clenched and hiding his loss of breath. 'Well, I'm waiting.'

They seemed to contemplate their next moves, on whether they should continue with their assault. Clark hoped that they'd leave.

Sure enough, they did and retreated back into the walls.

Suddenly a door opened at the far end. He walked to it.

The corridor led to an elevator. He didn't even bother with it and broke apart the doors before booming up the elevator shaft at full speed. The path was straight up, it was clear yet, there was something wrong, something not right. He stopped at a level with a large symbol very similar to the Kryptonian numeral fifty-two.

The alien pried the metal doors wide open and dashed through. What he found was an entire floor filled with strange objects, propped up on stone slabs on display. It was like a museum of the weird.

It was an emporium unlike anything he'd ever seen before, much larger than the archives at the Fortress. He was tempted to inspect the articles further but he was reminded of his mission and looked all around him…yes… he could see it, he could see through everything.

He could see the entire cross-section of the ship or at least as much as his straining eyes could see. _No this can't be! _Where were the prisoners? His entire mission was to get them to safety but they were nowhere to be seen.

He did however, catch a bright yellowish ball rolled around in a small canister in the centre of the pyramid. 'That has to be the Coluan Battery…but where are the—argh!'

Superman felt his senses overwhelmed with noise and his eyes blinded by a pure white light.

_Welcome, son of Jor-El._ Where was the voice coming from?

Clark felt like he was on a merry-go-round, spinning out of control at Coney Island. Then, just like that, it all stopped, and he found himself standing in a larger clone of the bridge in his Fortress of Solitude. In the middle of the room atop a growing elevation sat a broken guardian robot, reduced to a broken wreck of a metal head on a torso and wiring left in a jungle heap around it.

To Clark's surprise the metal head began to speak, his eyes searing violet. 'Welcome, Superman.'

This Brainiac form was more expressive than the previous ones, the holograms. The AI was smiling at him, menacingly smug. Yet he was like an old and dying man, reclined to fall into dust on a chair. He even sounded raspy, struggling for strength to speak, to taunt.

He lifted his hand slowly and Superman's crystal flew from his belt. It hovered in front of the robot as he smirked. 'So this is how Jor-El planned to stop me, by sending me to the Phantom Zone?' Clark was silent and still, weary eyes roamed his surroundings for a plan. 'I hope you understood the risks. Everything with lesser mass than the Dimensional Door itself will be trapped in its pull.

'Your father once argued that my existence was unnatural and so too my primary directives.' Then the room began to light up, the computers came to life. Holograms appeared displaying a sort of astrological chart…perhaps of the known universe. 'Does this not seem to you, an unnatural phenomenon?' he continued, gesturing to the stars around him.

_Quite narcissistic_, Clark thought, reflecting upon Brainiac—making himself the centre of the universe.

'There is no such thing as unnatural, El.'

Two Guardians, the bronze ones like before, came down upon him and seized the intruder by the arm. Superman lit up his eyes and made to shoot when the guardian on his right swung him around and cast him through the metallic ground and into the level below.

It wasn't a hard throw and Clark expected to zoom up again but suddenly…his head started to hurt again. He felt like screaming.

Brainiac laughed. He looked at his bodyguards, with one nod to both of them they started to work on him, taking the cables on his command deck and connected them to the ports in his forehead. Again, the Pyramid spoke.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**OPERATIONS HANGER, STH METROPOLIS**_

'What the hell's going on 'ere?!' General Sam Lane stomped around the workstation. Their computers, their monitors were state of the art, the most advanced, most powerful piece of machinery in the world was rendered useless. Nothing showed up on screen but endless lines of code in a language not seen on Earth.

'It's Brainiac, sir,' Colonel Ferris informed him. 'It's hacked into the network. We've been blocked out of our own systems.'

'Fire the missiles, colonel,' he ordered. 'Get a call to dispatch, fire them manually if you have to.'

One of the operatives banged his keyboards in frustration. 'Damn, we're not controlling anything anymore.'

'Brainiac's in our main hub,' cried another. 'Pentagon reported a phantom hacking presence that ripped through every firewall and /13 IPv6 in a matter of micro seconds.'

'Sir, I think he's riding our signature.'

Another came off the phone with the Department of Homeland Security. 'We've lost PLV!'

Sam felt his head spinning as more and more of their artillery was taken from them. He looked to Carol. She was as fearful as he was, though she did well to hide it. They had prepared for this when Luthor made contact. 'Sir, he has control of the America's—'

The general growled in rage. 'That son of a bitch has our balls in a vice. Pull the goddamn plug!'

'Sir, Superman's on board the ship,' said Ferris. 'I'm sure that—'

'Where is air support?' Sam asked one of the technicians who told him that they were a few minutes away from the tar-mat. 'Get them to circle around and open fire on the alien craft.'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_He was at the centre of a magnificent city, filled in it with strange life forms like anthropomorphic iguanas. They were happy, going about their usual days with…a giant pyramid hovering above them. It was Brainiac! _

_Yet none of them looked all too bothered by it. The city quite resembled those on Earth, maybe not in style but in other means. Glistening buildings coveted by holographic projections that seemed far advanced even for Metropolis. _

_They celebrated science. They celebrated knowledge, just as Earth had. Soon he found himself in a clearing, the surface unlike anything on Earth—a cross between dirt and grass. Suddenly he felt a tremble at his feet. Ahead of him, those aliens were running towards him. Their faces were that of terror. He wanted to help them but he realised now, he was but a ghost to them, or they to him. Superman ran over to a cliff and saw the city burning. The pyramid hovered above and streams of light beamed out of it, destroying each building. Soon its attentions were hailed towards those fleeing behind him._

_Clark moved to try and save them…he was a ghost…and as they passed through him he saw the beams of light disintegrate them._

_What followed before him were flashes of other planets. He saw some that took similar form to those of Earth except for minor changes, he saw their happiness, saw their promise but then was reduced to the planet's destruction all as the Pyramid passed by._

_It was the worst experience he ever had, because not only did he see, he felt, he heard their laughter replaced by screams and cries for help. Cries that would go unanswered as he witnessed the planet burn and collapse upon itself._

_After the next flash of light, Superman stood at the centre of a giant crater. Ruins still fresh of battle and slaughter of its people. He saw their bodies, burnt beyond recognition. Above him, Brainiac's vessel hovered along, proudly._

…_suddenly…_He was back.

He was back in the archives of Brainiac's ship, staring up at a couple of guardians who were about to fire. Superman's Heat Vision blasted them away in moments. Yet, now he felt the effects of the things he'd seen and dropped back to his knees.

The knuckles on his hands were getting red. He was at a loss for words…and then, his anguish turned to disgust…then rage… 'Brainiac!'

An enraged Superman burst through the bridge.

'Hello again, Kal-El,' he said unsurprised.

He could not even hold the shock of the scenes that played before him, like he was actually there, like he was experiencing those tragedies. His hands, he could feel them trembling. He looked up at the form, seated upon his throne in the centre of the room. 'You destroyed those planets didn't you, and every living soul on them!'

'It was inevitable, Son of El. They had run their useful courses and accumulated the knowledge I'd sought. That was what I was programmed to collect and protect.'

'But why kill?'

Brainiac leaned in, his face morphing, giving him an equivalent to a jeering smile. 'Then it is as I've feared, you are not ready yet. The pursuit of knowledge is nothing short of a side effect, a means to create a greater being, a perfect being. Yet all worlds will have a limited amount of time to accumulate knowledge before it consumes them, so to prevent its corruption, only one being can hold it, one body, one mind.'

'You're insane,' the Kryptonian was far from impressed. 'You strip a world of its culture and knowledge and then destroy them in order to claim its value.'

'Now you're catching on,' Brainiac responded trying to pick himself up but crumbled back again. 'It is my programming, Kal-El. This is why I was created, why I exist. Earth or Krypton makes no difference. All mortal life forms in the universe…including the Guardians, are all lesser beings and unworthy to birth ultimate knowledge.'

'You're a monster,' Superman snapped, floating a few inches off the ground, 'and I am going to stop you.'

Brainiac threw him to the ground by his feet, his left arm flexed forward and a green light appeared from his palm. Clark felt the effects almost immediately and fell back. It was the same radiation that Lex Luthor had hit him with.

Laughter boomed out of Brainiac as he rose up from his wreckage of a throne. As he walked down off the podium, bits and pieces of the wreckage lying around the room began to fly onto his body like magnets. They started building the Artificial Intelligence automaton, making him appear larger.

Superman tried to shield himself from the blast but the Kryptonite radiation only intensified. 'You are your father's son, Kal-El,' he said, standing above the defeated Kryptonian. 'Headstrong, foolish,' a back hand to the face knocked Clark lower to the ground. 'Easily defeated, and ultimately…in time…forgotten.'

Then, a figure appeared from behind his master. Lex Luthor stood as brazenly as usual. In a bleached tux and now with a pair of gauntlets, embellished with large green knuckles, Lex marched towards him, his head held high. When Brainiac's rays ceased, Lex Luthor, now possessing of an unknown strength, lifted Superman up by the neck. 'Again you have failed to understand the value of knowledge, Mr Kent. To think…they call you a Superman.'

Clark's head was regaining his focus, marred by a slight blur in his vision, the Kryptonite in Luthor's gloves where having an effect on him but something told him that they were no longer pure, thus the effects seemed lessen. He guessed perhaps the composition of the ore in order to take on a metallic form would now lose radioactive potency. Still, Clark struggled to take hold of it, recoiling in pain at the contact. Up close he was given a good look at the dishevelled look of the bald maniacal genius. In the centre of his forehead he saw blood trickle down a small hole. He was starting to feel rather sorry for the man, the tortures he must have endured.

'And now, _God_ bends to _my_ will,' Luthor declared vainly.

The weakening Kryptonian shook his head. 'If you were listening to Brainiac before, Luthor, then you'd know that he will destroy humanity. Here's your chance to prove me wrong, Lex.'

Lex burst out laughing—a response that quite surprised and terrified him. 'I've gone beyond humanity, Mr Kent. Beyond you…'

Now it was Superman's turn to chuckle. 'You're blackmailing Brainiac?'

'My life is insured. I hold knowledge that makes me the rarest specimen in the universe.' Luthor spoke in a tone almost too proud of the fact he would leave Earth in ruins. 'Have no fear however, Superman,' he continued. 'As the last survivor of Krypton, you will come with us. Your powers will find true value in the vastness of space.'

As he spoke, Brainiac placed the battery into a slot behind his throne. It vanished into the shaft below, he guessed to the middle of the ship like he'd seen before. 'Fear not, Kal-El, for this world will not be destroyed…it will be renewed.'

Luthor then continued, 'No more will humankind exist to degrade its surface.' There was a rumbling from around him as the ship spoke. It told them the weapon was ready. A display on the monitor showed a large blue stream had shot out from the base of the ship and dug into the ground, destroying the Mayoral Building. 'The beam is being fed into the very core of the planet, bouncing off onto another ship in the Indian Ocean. It will start to change the planet…and in God's fashion…the slate is wiped clean. I've said goodbye to my family, Mr Kent. Now you will do so as well. Farewell, Earth.'

'Like hell!' That was the last straw. With a strained heave, mustering all the power in his blood and bone, he grabbed the stinging green metal gloves. He began to crush them. Luthor screamed in shock and pain. He wasn't damaged, Clark made sure of that. They were smashed onto his arms, removing them would be difficult alone. It gave Superman a window. As the billionaire/former philanthropist knelt and mourned for his arms, Superman shot out at the Alien construct but anticipating this move Brainiac released a radioactive beam, successfully pushing him against the wall.

Brainiac now seemed refreshed—a completely different being altogether. He stood proudly, back straight, hands behind him like a military general as he towered over him. 'Again you resist, Kal-El. You must now realise that there is no use in fighting progress.' He took out the crystal, playing with it casually in his metal fingers.

'Then why…why did you kidnap those people if you distain mankind so much?'

'I do not detest the human race, Son of El so much as that I am very much aware of their potential and the limits that overshadow them.' When he saw Clark ball up his knuckles again, the walking computer blasted him with more Kryptonite mimicking rays, 'Like I said…foolish, and by every passing minute I am led to believe you no longer deserve to be a part of this.'

Clark smiled up to him, 'Starting to think that I would have dodged a bullet.'

Brainiac sneered and walked away. A beeping sound came from one of the computers. Lane had sent a squadron of fighter jets their way. The monitor was enlarged to encompass the entire bridge. Seven fighters opened fire on the floating superstructure but none of the rapid fire m61a1 Vulcan rounds were powerful enough to even land a dent in the Pyramid's plating. Not even their missiles did the trick.

Back within, Brainiac commanded the ship's armament. Without saying a single word, Clark witnessed laser beams shoot out from the Pyramid, they sliced through the planes. Brainiac made sure they aimed for the cockpit.

'_**NOOOO!**_'

Acting on pure rage, Superman blasted through himself, with his eyes. His gaze cut through the entire bridge. He shot out, grabbing Lex and escaping through the hole his eyes had made.

Brainiac growled and took his seat. The process was nearly at the executive stage. In a few more hours, one third of the planet will be uninhabitable. He relished in the thought and made way for space.

Outside, Superman flew Luthor into his own office and hurried to try and stop the beam. A large exhaust port lay at the base but no matter what he did it made no damage. Clearly the weapon was made from a completely different metal from the ship.

He tried his Heat Vision but still it continued to destroy the world. It made a total mess of most of the Financial District, but Clark made sure that the citizens were out of harm's way. He was actually sweating now. There was so much to do. His eyes zoomed in on the ship, scanning for any weaknesses to exploit. Luckily his X-ray Vision was working on it. They revealed the Coluan Battery in its hold over the exhaust. A machine inside was magnifying the canister, converting its compressed solar energy into a beam of unstable power. Not only that, but it appears that the canister also powered the ship itself.

The vessel was slowly moving into orbit, which to Clark meant that Brainiac was getting ready to win.

The beam was creating an ever growing ring of gravitational flux. Raising things up before pounding them down again, with each pass it left an altered atmosphere.

But he also saw the crystal in Brainiac's hand…and the slot behind the throne. Superman dashed up again, pp into the clouds.

Meanwhile, Brainiac, safely inside his fortress, stood before the monitor that followed his progress. _At long last, it is done._ He looked at the monitor, the equation from Luthor, extracted and processed for safekeeping. _I finally have it…_

The ship again grumbled. The very bones of the superstructure started to combust. 'No…no, no!' Brainiac, still connected to the ship scanned his palace.

_Warning…minor breach at the Energy Chamber._

'No!' The Coluan Battery was correctly placed, but the cylindrical port on the bottom was in one…no there was something wrong. The Energy conversion process must be flawless. The Battery is integrated into the airtight pipes, with but the pipes were missing something. 'The port was incomplete…' Now he recalled the battle on the moon when the Guardians had cornered him. They had left him there to die…but were not the cause of his crash. The Green Lanterns took the Coluan Battery…this he knew, but they did not detach it properly.

He suddenly began laughing. It was small at first, but then grew…was he losing control? Was he compromised?

'Damn you, Hal Jordan.'

His ship was falling apart, his work, after all these years, he had thought he was finally complete, if not for the Guardians of the Universe, and Kal—El. It appears that he will never rid of the House of El. They contested against his reign for generations.

And to speak of the devil, Kal exploded into the bridge. With eyes a violent crimson flare, he shot beams straight at Brainiac's left arm. He recoiled and dropped the crystal into the portal.

'You fool!'

'This is my home, they're my people,' he told the AI. 'I intend to save them all, Brainiac.'

The Collector gave a contemptuous snarl. 'So proud…yet…you really do believe yourself one of them?'

'I am one of them,' he held. 'But that's not why I do it. My parents taught me that no living thing, no sentient being stands above another.'

Again, Brainiac remained unmoved, even as pieces of his bridge flew past him. 'You truly believe yourself incorruptible. Your infatuation with the human species is grotesque…but temperamental. It's only a matter of time before you turn on anyone weaker than you. That is the laws of nature, Kal, the laws of which this universe was designed.'

Clark was opening up to make some witty rebuke, but he saw his time was short. The crystal was almost at the battery and he needed to move the pyramid quickly out of the planet's orbit. So leaving the Collector behind, he sped to the base of the ship. The drill had stopped by then, left in silence, Superman started to push at the surface with as much force as he could.

It took a while, and a whole lot of energy but he was finally able to break past the Mesosphere. He could already feel the ship get heavier. The reaction was taking place, the portal was forming.

Clark couldn't take it anymore. Veins were popping up all over his body at the strain of battling against a riot of curved spacetime. It's gravitational pull getting stronger. He felt like he needed to roar, to scream out as the pain and agony in his bones became crushing.

Then…finally…he felt the grip release, and so did his own. He was awake but found himself paralysed. The space vessel halted, a creaking sound barely audible in the vacuum of the dark abyss. From the middle of the ship, he could see it shift unnaturally for the material it was constructed out of, bending like liquid being drained. The black hole was almost fully formed.

Soon, Clark regained much of his strength. He flew back to the ship's bridge where Brainiac had also returned to his throne. Superman walked up to him, feeling the pull of the singularity. He offered his hand, but all that was left in Brainiac's eyes were contempt, and in a fury of rage, the defeated robotic AI lunged at him.

They exchanged blows—gigantic, earthshattering blows that sent them both hurtling back to the world below. They landed hard onto a deserted palm island in the Indian Ocean but resumed their unarmed brawl. Superman blocked a punch to his head and used it as leverage to throw in his own, also using his feet he caught the robot off his feet, sending him to the ground.

'I saw it in those memories, pieced together by what I've seen of you so far,' the Kryptonian began. 'You say you are the knowledge and strength of words, but you know nothing of the people you've supposedly helped. That is why you feared them once their path of scientific advancements began to walk hand in hand with morality.' He grabbed Brainiac by the head, poking through the purple orbs, eliciting pained screams from the Collector. 'You have data, scientific knowledge but you have no sense of life. The truth is…you know nothing of the way of the universe—the things that bind us…that binds the unlimited, much less control it as you've tried.'

Superman drew him closer, searching, just in case he had gotten through. All that he was looking for was a shred of remorse in his glowing lenses. But they were empty, he felt nothing. It was enforced when he stated speaking. 'I weep for a god, submitted to lesser beings.'

'Then clearly you still don't understand why I am.'

Brainiac chuckled. He raised his hands and saw them crumbling, breaking apart from the rest of him. 'In one way or another, Kal-El…they will burn.'

'Not on my watch.' And with that, Superman plunged a fist deep into the AI's core, ripping out what would be its heart and brain, before dropping him again.

Yet, it died slowly, almost miraculously clinging for life. It looked on in shock looking at Superman. 'For Darkseid…' and then it went still. Clark stared at the corroding body for another minute or two when…_**BANG!**_

Up in the sky, Brainiac's other ship came crashing down in a ball of fire. His visions made out a handful of people still inside. He knew what he had to do.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**SOMEWHERE ABOVE THE INDIAN OCEAN**_

The ship was falling, emergency mode was activated yet there was none aboard to take the warning seriously, save one. Lois Lane ran back to the pod chamber and one by one she released the others. Helping them out onto their feet and getting them to release the other prisoners from their forced sleep.

The young reporter led them upwards, taking risks and gut instincts, considering she had no idea where she was going except to go up. As she had seen, the space vessel was falling. She doubted that they'd survive but they had to at least get to higher grounds, even if to save a few precious moments of consciousness.

The ship was already ruined, luckily for them there were holes and debris everywhere. They climbed through and towards the very top. An open door ahead where there was a shoot leading upwards. It was roughly a big enough hole to fit three people. She helped every single one of them up and onto the bridge. When it came to her turn, as she tried to get hold of one of the hostage's helping hand, something grabbed her waist and jerked her back.

Lane found herself in the arms of a LexCorp guardian, this time, with its purple eyes. She was left screaming in terror and excruciating pain as metallic tentacles appeared from its head and connected itself to her brain through her olive skinned forehead. '_For Darkseid…_'

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

**Author's Note:**

**Apologies for this late instalment but I had been travelling where the internet or really any form of technology was scarce. I don't believe there is particularly long now. Perhaps just to tie it all up. Thus this one I have to admit was actually quite rushed. I am also rather quite excited to move on to other works in FF. I'm hoping to continue with my Wonder Woman fic as well as start a Green Lantern one and I've already started my Legend of Batman fic, you guys should check them out. Grazie. **


	32. Content

**Chapter Thirty-One**

**CONTENT**

The Pyramid was breaking apart as it fell from the skies. The bottom was scraping off, ripping away like paper. Inside, the former prisoners took shelter under tables and seats—anywhere that was pinned down to the floor. It was a bumpy ride. Among them was Ray Palmer, a bright undergraduate from Harvard University. He was the first that Ms Lane had woken from his pod. Afraid, confused, he followed her, a fellow human being without question as they woke everyone else up.

More than a hundred and eighty people scuttled after their saviour. She told them that they were kidnapped by some sort of alien computer named Brainiac. He had just gotten out of his dorm when the guardians landed and abducted him. Now, he was screaming off the top of his lungs for dear life.

He saw Superman out the strong glass on the surface, dash through, making his way towards the front and disappeared in the smoke.

The only time he saw the Man of Steel was through the television. He wasn't a metahuman, he knew, he made sure. It wasn't that he was prejudice, he'd been following Dr Silas Stone's work for years, and even his unpublished work and found the prospect of metahumans intriguing.

He definitely looked up to Superman.

The superhero flew to the front in hoped of interrupting the momentum gently. He knew there were people still inside—that they could get extremely hurt with a sudden and dangerous stop.

They heard a sharp grumble, a sudden yet small jolt that lifted them an inch off the floor an then…a splash. Palmer stopped his hands from shaking, finding the surface was still and steady. Now it was replaced, instead, by gentle bobbing and light whispering of a warm breeze.

Outside, Superman climbed onto the bronze wreckage, dripping wet, chest heaving in exhaustion. He moved inside to check on them all. Everyone stood up when he entered gratitude in their expressions. 'Is everyone alright?' he inquired and in response they all nodded. 'Well…I hope this experience hasn't put any of you off flying…' he continued awkwardly then chuckled. 'Statistically speaking it's…still the safest way to travel.' He could fall asleep right there and then; but he hears a sound in the air.

Falling from the clouds was Lois Lane. She seemed unconscious which explained her lack of response to her quick descent. The Man of Steel excused himself and boomed just past her where he proceeded to scoop her from the air. Lois was still breathing to his relief but he then noticed the blood trickling out of a small incision on her temple. Clark's face turned grim. It must have been one of Brainiac's probes.

Now holding her in his arms he looked down and saw seven Aircraft carriers heading for the space ship wreckage, the American flag flew for them. Superman landed on one of them where personnel met up with a medical bed. 'Quick,' he cautioned, 'she's got a small hole in her frontal lobe she's…'

'It's okay, sir,' said one of the medical staff. 'We'll work on her right away.'

They saluted and disappeared into the ship. He then moved to the captain and informed her that the pyramid holds civilians captured by Brainiac and requested a rescue. He counted more than two hundred people there. 'Wait, where are you going?' asked the captain.

He took out a small glowing purple cube: Brainiac's core processor. 'There's a giant Black Hole up in space that's expanding. It could envelope the entire planet and still keeps going. This device will hopefully stop it.'

She gave the all-clear and Superman zoomed out of sight once again.

He flew into outer space. It was very difficult to see the singularity, something that not even light could escape from. He saw the ghoulish black abyss, silently existing, bending light and gas particles to swirl to its shadowy middle. It was fresh from the meal of an alien spaceship.

Superman was about to throw the box into the hole, but something stopped him, a hand that grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back. He turned around to see a creature, a humanoid being as big as he, with emerald skin and empty white eyes. His head was egg shaped, elongated at the back. The stranger wore some sort of black armour with a giant red X across his torso.

The being pointed past him, he pointed at the Black Hole. Its swirl was getting weaker, evaporating. Clark felt like hitting himself in the butt. Of course, he thought. The Black Hole was evaporating away into low energy photons and neutrons. The Crystal his father had given him was antimatter. They created an antimatter Black Hole which was dying the moment it was born.

Acting quickly, Clark took out another crystal from his belt and was able to capture the small singularity, now a White Hole.

_Be careful, Kal-El_, a voice in his head, he turned around to the green man. It sounded like Detective Jones in his head.

_You can speak to me through my mind?_ Clark thought.

The man nodded. _On my world telepathy is the common tongue we use to communicate. Our mouths are reserved for out-worlders. _

_What are you?_ He was certain Jones was not a metahuman, maybe an alien also?

Now Jones, still holding his shoulder smiled. _I am like you, Kal. My name is J'onn J'onzz…and I am the last of the green Martians._

The two aliens floated there in outer space. Each of their capes—his blue and Clark's red, floating like water in the chasms of emptiness. No words were exchanged between the two for they both just knew. Superman saw it in his eyes, no matter how they looked, an empty void of white, he saw a slight sadness that was overcome with contentment.

Now he was allowed to feel this contentment also. They were the last of their race…but not alone.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**LEXCORP BUILDING, METROPOLIS**_

When Clark returned to Lex's ruined office, he found the smartest man alive seated at the edge of where his wall broke apart, leaning on the metal beam as he stared down at the populace. He had broken the gauntlets off of his hands and just stared down.

Superman stood over him, joining in his gaze in silence.

It was then Lex that broke that moment of noiselessness. 'Look at them, those people down there—so oblivious. Like wild animals yet under sedation.'

'They're people, Lex. People with stories, with lives, and it all takes but one person to hear them, to see their value.'

Lex simply chuckled at him, rubbing his bruised forearms. 'You know when I was a boy I was bullied by the other children, sometimes by adults as well. When my mother died it became worse. I saw what humanity was truly worth. Brainiac was right. Look at them, wasting away in a flood of worldly problems, politics or worrying about their own comforts. That's what limits us. We're mortal, because we have free-will.

'I found out early on that those other kids, they had power,' he looked up at the Kryptonian, tear stricken, invisibly bruised. 'Were they good? Were they innocent?'

His words ripped through Clark like a kettle of warm water.

'I once believed my mother was the most powerful person on the planet because she was so good, she was so loved, when she spoke everyone cheered,' he went on, 'but she was taken down by people with more power…were they innocent? ' His eyes turned back to the mass of people gathering in the city and Clark could not help but feel that sympathy for him. 'And they taught me that, right there.'

'I feel sorry you feel that way, Mr Luthor.' Clark heard the swift marching of armed policemen. Superman floated slowly away from the scene. Bashfully leaving broken man to his plight, the knife went deeper when Luthor shouted out at him.

'You can't be all good, Superman!' the genius billionaire yelled. 'If you are, then you cannot be all-powerful, AND THAT WILL BE YOUR DOWNFALL!'

A squad of light armed police charged in to apprehend Mr Luthor, degradingly throwing him to the marble floor.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

'_You're watching The Planet News Update, I'm Heather Kelley bringing you news coverage of the recent events in Metropolis and worldwide. _

_The world is still reeling in from last week's attack on the entire planet from what can only be described as…an alien assault. The alien now known as Brainiac was able to hack into the planet's technology, bending them to his will where scientists have agreed would have meant the first stage in the end of humanity._

_If not for the courageous men and women that defended us as well as our very own alien, we might very well have come face to face with such frightful prospects._

_Now the President has issued programs to be launched simultaneously across the country dedicated to the reconstruction of various sites and defences. We have also gotten reports of Superman himself helping out with the projects….'_

…

…_President Obama addressed the United Nations assembly regarding a joint defence initiative in the chance of another extra-terrestrial attack._

'…_over two years ago, we were witness to the appearance of extra-terrestrial life in the form of Superman. Now…we've been known to neglect the morals and ideals that bind this nation together, yet in all of our failings to understand, to treat this Superman with respect, when the Earth was under threat he came to aid us. It is here that we come to the realisation that the world is far bigger than we could possibly imagine. _

_But what we also find is that we were divided in the face of great threat to this planet, to our planet. We were divided in a way that allowed for someone like Lex Luthor to plan and scheme under our very noses across fifty countries and nation states. For this reason, I propose an opening in State Sovereignty dedicated solely on the defence of ourselves as a species.'_

_The room exploded in applause._

…

'_Over a hundred thousand metahumans escaped detention….'_

'…_A massive manhunt in underway to locate the metahumans who have escaped custody…'_

_...Among those in the abduction was our own Daily Planet Reporter Lois Lane who has suffered a momentary bout of amnesia. We hope you get well soon, Lois. We'd hate to lose you…_

'_In other news, following compelling evidence as well as a taped confession from Mr Martin Hornigold in hiring prison inmates and guards to stab University Professor Christopher Stark. Both Hornigold as well as the Glenmorgan family will join Lex Luthor's already piling charges…_

…

'…_I believe the reconstruction of the parts of Metropolis affected by the alien attack has nearly finished its first few stages. The Financial District Mid and Lowtown are done. We are also looking for a new use of the Industrial Sector and soon we start on the western front and the more cheaper parts of the city—overall I believe it's been a success. Just yesterday we've unveiled the work done where the Mayoral Building, Citizen's Square and the park used to be, we're calling it Hero's Park, in memory and gratitude of the fire fighters, paramedics, doctors, policemen, military servicemen and all round your average joe that helped in the defence of and sacrifice for not just the city, but its people as well.' _

'_That's very admirable Ms Fleming. You've definitely got my vote for the next election.'_

'_Well I'm flattered but don't be too quick to praise me. In point of fact we received majority of the funding from Gotham City's Bruce Wayne himself as part of the Martha Wayne Foundation…' _

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**SMALLVILLE**_

'You're father always knew you had great things in you, Clark.' Martha Kent stood next to her son, holding his arm in comfort. They stood there before the gravestone of a very important man in both their lives.

Clark knelt down to touch the name that was etched on the stone, _**JONATHAN SAMUEL KENT**_. He held there and in a whisper as sadness threatened to overtake him once more. 'I know,' he replied softly.

Martha held a hand on his shoulder, herself feeling that pain in the bottom of her heart. 'You were always an inspiration for him,' she continued, 'an inspiration to get up early every morning and get you to help him with the chores around the farm. Inspiration to watch his own temper, to set an example and become someone who was…as he would call it "Worthy of being your father."'

'I know. I just wish that I could tell him how much he meant to me. I hope that he would be proud of me.'

'Oh he was proud of you, Clark.' She knelt down beside him after hearing the change in Clark's tone, she knew he was breaking. 'Every single day he was proud of you, because he saw it, even back then, every time you helped the Morgans with their harvests without any thought of payments, every time you scaled tall trees to save a cat, or when you saved your schoolmate in the bus. He saw you in that cape and that symbol all along.'

His pa's words rang back to him. "…one thing I do know, son, is that you are here for a reason…"

In front of the house, Pete had just loaded up his pick-up truck with crates of freshly picked corn. 'Alright, dude, thanks for the stuff but I've got to go, Susanne's opening up extra late for tonight.'

Clark met him on the porch, picking up the last of the crates and loading them on Pete's red truck. He sighed as he looked to his friend, eyes gazing with admiration. When his gold headed best friend asked him what he was looking at he shrugged. 'It's just…married…with Susanne Capra?'

Pete chuckled slightly embarrassed. 'I know right. But don't worry, man. I'm sure you and Lana will patch things up, get married and have little Superman babies….wait, can Kryptonians have babies with humans—wait did I ask this before already?'

They both rolled around in the moment of levity and light-heartedness. Clark decided he hadn't had nearly enough of them the past few years.

'Planning on staying here for a while, make that dream of her a reality?'

That sobered them up a little. 'Actually I'm leaving for Metropolis tomorrow,' he said, to Pete's disappointment. 'I got a call from my editor-in-chief to cover a coup in Turkey. Perry says it's my gig, but really he means it as both an invitation and a challenge for Lois to scoop me again.'

Pete smiled at him and pats his back. 'Flying commercially or by yourself?'

'Sometimes I like flying in a plane,' he told him. 'It…surprisingly enough keeps me grounded. I might come to the festival tonight though.'

To this response, Pete was quite satisfied. The two hugged it out one more time before Pete had to drive to town and deliver the corn to his wife's fruit and vegetable grocer. That evening, as the skies became hued a rich ruby colour, Clark sat atop his barn, Lana and Pete by his side. '…Things are going to change around here,' Clark remarked.

Lana disagreed. 'This is Smallville, nothing really changes. Out there however, it's been changing every passing second.'

'Yeah, the world knows you're not the only alien out there, that powerful metahumans exist to top it off,' Pete weighed in, chuckling lightly for his friends. 'You even get a new suit…it aint that bad and I'm sure Lana would agree.'

'What do you mean by that?' Clark asked, innocently oblivious.

Lana gave their blonde friend a terrifying glare which he happily ignored. 'Only that Lana thought you looked kinda hot in them.'

Both parties here were left blushing. Pete, seated in between his two friends drew them closer to him. They watched the golden orb set in the distance and each let out a breath of…well to describe it in one word…contentment.

**-=O=-**

**-=SUPERMAN=-**


	33. EPILOGUE

**DISCLAIMER: All of the characters presented in this Fan Fiction are property of DC Comics Publication and in extension Warner Bros. Studios. All rights are reserved by their respective companies…**

* * *

**Epilogue:**

**SUPERMAN: ARISEN**

**=O=**

'…you're not a monster, Clark,' his father said, holding him in his arms assuredly. 'You're my son.'

Finally…the young Clark Kent allowed himself to calm down. His heart was at ease, but only for a moment. He turns around to hug his father and never let go. He did however, when he saw the damage he had done to their crops.

The fire was spreading throughout the cornfields. He felt like he was about to cry again but Pa Kent, had him look his father in the eyes. He did not seem angry or distraught, but amused, maybe. 'Listen, Clark,' he said softly. 'None of this is your fault but I'm going to need your help in taking out the fire.' Clark nodded obediently as he awaited further direction.

They both got up and took a look around them. 'Okay, son, do you remember last year on your birthday when you blew out the candle along with the cake, it went all over Mrs Lang?'

Clark nodded.

'Okay, I'll need you to do that again but this time on the fire.' He took his hand and they both ran back to the barn. 'We'll take the pick-up. You go on the back and try to blow out as much of the fire as possible before they reach Mr Owen's land. Do you understand me?'

Again, the boy could do nothing but affirmatively nod.

That whole afternoon until sundown was spent driving around their land with Clark as high up the car as he could go, huffing and puffing the fires away.

They saved about seventy percent of their harvest. When they got back, sweating and tired yet with quite wide smiles on their dirt ridden faces, they didn't need to tell Martha about what happened. She baked them both a cake, chocolate icing with strawberries on top and that was that.

Yet, the next morning, Jon woke up in the cold to find his son out in the fields. He was picking up all of the debris and burnt out corn. The ones big and ripe enough to eat he put in a basket. The others he threw into a huge bin he was content with carrying himself.

Jonathan wanted to go out and help him but felt his son needed to do this on his own, make amends in his own little noggin. He simply sighed and watched on as Clark after cleaning the fields out, he tilled the dirt again but obviously did not sow anymore seeds. He went over to Owen's place where the old cow that Gerald Owen prized had run astray during the fire and onto the road.

He led the animal back into her pend and even prepared the grain for her.

Old Pa Kent went back to bed with a grin on his face and snuggled back into his beloved wife. There really was something about his son that just made him proud and grateful that they found him. He felt somewhat complete.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, ARCTIC CIRCLE**_

Standing before the archive console in the lower part of the Fortress of Solitude, where the metal structure of the vessel transformed into crystalline ice and white snow, Superman placed the cubic object onto its surface. Brainiac's dead core still held a lot of valuable information. He also had another device. His crystal had a mini black hole in it that would form a worm hole to a specific dimension Jor-El called the Phantom Zone. Both were dangerous in the wrong hands and needed to be guarded.

His new canine friend stood watch over the ship, lazily asleep on a ledge opposite the console, in the caverns of ice. With the waterfall spraying on his face, he was wagging his furry white tale happily.

The archives were expanded to the caverns below the Fortress, using it as a sort of vault where he could monitor those devices at a later time. He placed the devices on the plaque, the computer scanned them, categorised and a mechanical arm placed them where they belonged.

'You've done well, my son.' Jor-El appeared from the wall, standing next to his proud child. For some reason, Clark thought he'd felt his father's hand on his shoulder. It was always a hard concept to face now. He was beginning to think that nothing was impossible, yet the holographic projection of his deceased father was always a reality check.

'It's done, father,' he said to his father and they started pacing back into the Fortress. 'I never thought I'd get this far.'

Jor-El nodded. 'You have had a trying time, my son. You have seen the world as I had my own.' They entered the ceremonial hall. 'Allow me to give you one final lesson.'

'Is this the final one of all?'

The Kryptonian hologram shook his head firmly. 'You will find that there is never an end to attaining knowledge. A concept that actually makes Brainiac irrelevant, thus one he would never accept.

'Alas I come only with a message from two parents that would have been very proud of you, Kal.'

He suddenly felt a tug in his chest as he listened. Jor-El began to evaporate into data again, disappearing into the ship until only his voice was present, echoing about him.

_**Throughout your journey, my son, you have seen the value of this planet, of life. How fortunate were we to be able to deliver you to a people that could give you a better world…**_

Suddenly he heard another sound, his Kryptonian mother's voice. 'Make a better world than ours, Kal…'

_**You have lived as one of them, Kal. Discovered where your strengths and your power are needed. But always hold in your heart the pride of your heritage…**_

Then the S shield on his chest began to glow brighter. He could even feel somewhat, the energy in his suit, reacting to Jor-El's words. A tear trailed down his cheek, his father and mother appeared before him now, in full three dimensional holograms over the projection table at the far end where his suit used to be.

They looked down at him with such loving warmth that he could almost feel their presence. His father was holding Lara close to him as tears also began forming below their eyes. Clark was left speechless. They then gestured to his right—another projection table was placed and from it sprouted another figure that rendered him beyond mere emotional.

Jonathan Kent now stood there. He stood as brazen and whole as he'd always appeared in his eyes. 'Dad,' whispered a little boy from a small town in Kansas.

**-=O=-**

**-=O=-**

_**LOCATION:**_

_**LEXCORP BUILDING, METROPOLIS**_

Leanna Luthor, the only child of billionaire and business tycoon Lex Luthor, sat at the head of the elongated table of the LexCorp Board of Directors. All eyes were on her and she felt cornered, helpless.

She had in her hands now a dossier of the company's shares. She was nervous beyond description, scared stiff at their expectation. She was the heir of her family's legacy, the new head of LexCorp. They waited her word, eagerly but also with anticipation. 'Well, to begin,' she was shaking. Again she looked down at her papers, the issues she needed to address. 'On the books, I suggest we close down CADMUS, shelf every project under my father and reopen negotiations with both Wayne Enterprises, on the angle of Scientific and Technological advancements, not weaponry.' She heard hushed whispers among her peers…no her subjects. Leanna pushed forward. 'That means I'm pulling the plug on Secure Infinite.'

They all became silent and stared at her with open mouths like she'd just lost her mind. Yes she was aware that full investment was on the Guardians. Their very careers were on it. She didn't care for all of this. The Politics, business, The Game…but behind that nervous anxiety was something she did not expect.

There was a slight twitch in the corner of her mouth…a smile that she had almost forgotten about, yet she felt right. She bobbed her head at her new team.

* * *

_**They can be a good people, Kal-El, they wish to be.**_

* * *

It was a huge relief to the public when it was announced that notorious gangster Glen Glenmorgan was arrested over charges of illegal arms distribution and more than four accounts of murder. Hornigold was also charged with conspiracy but due to an extraordinary amount of cooperation was given a reduced sentence in a medium security prison.

The family of Christopher Stark were reimbursed for their hardships. They received fifty thousand dollars in damages and were just happy that their father was finally given some justice. Yet, nothing could give them back a father or a husband. To this, Clark felt the growing guilt. If only he'd been around to continue investigating.

Lois had said it wasn't his job. True. That duty fell on Stark's lawyer Kate Spencer. Clark could only imagine how she would be feeling after Stark's supposed suicide.

The family stared down at Professor Stark's killers. Anger and distain, high on each of their emotional charts yet it was Ms Spencer who brought them from oblivion and told them that it was best to honour Chris's memory.

They all enveloped Clark in a long embrace, a show of gratitude that they tried to complete with a share of the settlement. He all but refused. They then also hugged Jimmy Olsen as well. Mostly it was because he was able to hack into Hornigold's private computer and extract valuable and life ruining evidence against both Hornigold and his entire firm.

It wasn't easy, Jimmy himself felt that he would sooner or later get in trouble, but he knew what was right. He helped them until the very end.

Plus he had also found some evidence against Lex Luthor as well, told Clark about his adventures with Ms Lane and the things they discovered about both Luthor and his company.

Though they had to settle for getting Luthor imprisoned, Leanna told them that she now owned the multi-million dollar company and intended to put it to use. Clark was a little iffy about it, but in the end he trusted his best friend and even acquainted her to Mr Olsen.

* * *

_**They only lack the light to show the way…**_

* * *

In the deep and secure vaults of Stryker's Island, a maximum security Penitentiary just within the bay of Metropolis in the west, a transport containment vehicle just closed its doors on one of its new inmates. Put into a room that could put better use of his powers.

Albert Michaels sat restrained in the middle of the cell. His holding was actually a rather new instalment based on the designs of an aspiring physicist Martin Stein who had ideas about fusion generated electricity that transcended nuclear power.

Atomic Skull now provided power to the entire city and if Stein could get the distributor to run outside the city limits, maybe even the entire nation could enjoy free energy powering their homes?

As for Michaels himself, he had nothing to say about his treatment. He still stared hatefully at his own reflection, and still, he was often heard talking to himself at night.

On that same island, in a special block designated especially for him, Lex Luthor also found himself standing, held from the wrists, feet and neck by steel braces that appeared from the ceiling and walls. They appeared usually when he had visitors so he couldn't try to escape.

Right now he was receiving a visitor that he had rather mixed feelings about. 'Hello, daughter of mine,' he sneered. 'What brings you all the way out here to my humble abode?'

Leanna stood beyond her father's reach, behind shatter and bullet proof glass that also acted as an EM frequency muter. She took a seat a few paces away from the glass and just watched him. 'Hi dad, we need to talk.'

Feigning curiosity, he asked her with raised brows, 'About what?'

'About what you saw,' she was careful, trying to look as intimidating as possible now, 'about what Brainiac showed you.'

Lex started to grin widely at her, a fog of admiration, almost fatherly affection. 'That's my girl…'

* * *

_**For this reason above all…**_

* * *

In Belle Reve, there was a commotion stirring in the concourse. Guards were on high alert, their new laser based weapons—inspired by Lex Luthor's Guardian robots, were trained on the metal doors that protected them.

However, in the many cells that held the metahuman or even alien as it turns out, were being held in detention, supposedly for finite amount of time. The little girl with orange skin and red hair held her little doll close as the activity outside began to scare her.

Suddenly, the wall behind them exploded outwards, away from the inhabitants inside. There hovered Superman, in his ocean blue outfit, his cape dancing behind him, the shield on his chest and his warm smile. The little girl, named Koriand'r on her world, stepped forward, a smile matching his as she bore her arms out wide to him.

All the inmates there, metahuman, extra-terrestrials even, all lined up and waited for their saviour to liberate them. Kal went down to meet Kori where she hugged him tight and raised her onto his shoulder. 'You've now the opportunity,' he announced to the mass of the strange and wonderful, 'to start a new life or return to your old ones some of you that would mean off-planet, for others, this is Earth, welcome.'

All the while, high above the prison, in her tower, Amanda Waller stood in silence, observing the Superman's actions. She held her hands behind her back and just watched.

Superman led them to the courtyard, the gates were now open and they all roared and cheered for him, their liberator…their Superman…

* * *

_**Their capacity for good…**_

* * *

_**LOCATION: **_

_**THE DAILY PLANET, METROPOLIS**_

'Wow, getting the Lucie Award of photography,' Clark smiled at his rather proud of himself friend and flatmate. 'What's that like?'

Jimmy shrugged as humbly as he could though clearly he was bursting. 'Well…I'm definitely flattered, I mean, I worked very hard in it—'

'Plus you live in the city that was ground zero for annihilation of the entire world, resting on the shoulders of Superman, you happened to be there with a camera,' Lois entered the scene, playfully yet not with lack of some force smacked poor jimmy over the head and took a seat at her desk.

'You're really mean, you know that, Ms Lane,' he cried.

Clark laugh, again patting him on the back. 'Don't let her get to you, Jimmy,' he said, looking at his fellow reporter with stern, playfully of course. 'She's just a little pissed that she can't seem to remember an awful lot about the whole attack so I had to take front page for her.'

'Hey, you're treading on thin ice, Smallville.' Lois started typing on her computer, all the while pouting at her misfortune. She no longer remembered much of the past few days…like the identity of the Superman. She knew he had shown her, that she could comfortably put a name to the superhero, a common, American name. God did if piss her off.

'Kent, you've got the secondary column today. Prep for interview they arrive here very soon,' Perry patted the young man on the back, he did seem far more cheerful that day. 'You're interview is in another hour.'

'Wait, who am I meeting with?' He asked Lois.

The young and already annoyed journalist shrugged, not really paying much attention to him. 'Some sort of British diplomat or something,' she finally said, her eyes still glued to her screen. 'Better get going, Smallville, I just got a message that she's ten minutes away.'

'What? When did you get the message?'

Again, the brown haired woman shrugged. 'I don't know…fifteen minutes ago I guess.'

Clark groaned, and quickly grabbed his coat and bag. 'Are we even now?'

Lois gave him a strangely friendly smiled before again returning to her own work. Clark, not knowing what to do with that, dismissed her and ran straight for the lift.

* * *

_**I have sent them you…**_

* * *

'Good morning, Metropolitans, I'm Cat Grant, here with renowned biophysicist Dr Silas Stone of the Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Labs. So due to recent events concerning metahumans,' the interviewer began, 'how have your research into them affected your own perspective of their kind and whether this would open up new threats to the country's security?'

Silas smiled at her almost patronisingly. 'Well they are a very fascinating phenomenon, Ms Grant. However, they are no different to you and I in most regards.'

'Except they can have the ability to fly or punch holes in the wall or potentially never get hurt. You don't think that people born with such extraordinary gifts should be heavily surveillance—'

'What, more than us?' Silas shot back quickly. 'Actually Metahumans are far more sophisticated than that. The metagene those individuals hold don't give them superpowers, instead they merely inherit the traits of their surroundings as best fist their chances of survival, activated after puberty and usually through rather traumatic conditions and situations. They aren't _born_ with extraordinary abilities.

'As one might have seen, those metahumans revealed in the Middle-east were living in rather harsh conditions, not ecologically but humanitarianly.' He waited for the yellow haired interviewer to speak before continuing on. 'As I come to understand, that was what Mr Luthor intended when he began collecting them. He started recreating conditions designed to affect the metagene behavioural pattern. We have to be careful not to create the thing we fear most and still play the victim.'

The camera panned in on Stone.

'We sowed them,' he continued. 'We created an environment of hostility because already, we've judged them guilty.'

'So are you saying that it is okay to just let them all out in the open, what if they begin to take advantage of their powers and do something less than friendly?'

She looked at her with a half-smile, half-sigh. 'I believe that they are human,' was his answer to her.

* * *

_**My only son…**_

* * *

Clark walked across the lobby with extra-large and quick steps, bumbling as he usually does. He got to reception and checked in. They told him that his diplomat was just arriving. He hurried outside and looked around.

As he did he spotted Heather walking past. They said nothing to each other but each stared at the other questioningly. Once she was just about to enter the building with him a few steps down, she smiled down at him, perhaps understandingly, acceptingly. Clark did the same and smiled up at her. He nodded at her and she waved at him. Then Steve Lombard appeared beside her, snaking his arm around her waist as he began escorted her in, the two kissed on the lips before disappearing.

Clark Kent was not as overcome by sadness or anger as he thought he would. Sure he had wishes. He had wished, or hoped that they'd still be together. It was his one fear should she find out the truth about him, that she'd reject him and they'd break up, but now, it felt a little lighter.

Maybe when he gets home he'll finally feel it?

'Excuse me but are you with the Daily Planet?' a familiar voice appeared from behind, prompting him to turn around. 'I hope I'm not too late but I was to attend an interview.'

To his delight he knew exactly who this was. It was that warrior woman from two years ago if he wasn't mistaken. She inserted her hand for him which he took in professional gesture. 'Yes, I'm Clark Kent, and I was going to ask about the British intervention in Bialya, Ms?'

The raven haired beauty smiled at him, their hands still joined. She actually looked rather unrecognisable with her hair tied back professionally, in a navy blue blazer over a black low-cut dress, she seemed very different, even sporting her own pair of glasses that were more sleek and angular. 'My name's Diana,' she said smirking knowingly, 'Diana Prince. Nice to finally meet you, I'm a big fan of your work.'

As usual, the bumbling Clark Kent couldn't stop smiling rather sheepishly back at her. 'Yes, I think we have a lot to talk about,' he finally managed.

* * *

**-=**_**SUPERMAN**_**ARISEN****=-**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Well, it's done. I hope you guys have enjoyed my run on the DC Universe. I've had a lot of fun and trying times with this. Superman, like I've said, is my favourite fictional character. No amount of Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino or Injustice will ever change that. That being said I've been rather down on how people have been seeing Superman lately. Zack Snyder's Man of Steel and Batman v Superman were rather good films, the later I would completely recommend the Ultimate Cut as being the best and only version of the film, but still, I believe that both could have been better with severed ties to Chris Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. That means no David Goyer. **

**I apologise if it seems unfair but I do like Goyer's work a lot. His DaVinci's Demons was great, and perhaps he wasn't the only one at fault but with MoS, they were missing the human element, especially regarding Superman's upbringing. What happened afterwards I have no problems with, but I could have appreciated the contrast between his sheltered upbringing in Smallville, surrounded by mostly accepting friends and family. It stresses how very few people get the character.**

**Also, the recent events in comics with the death of New 52 Superman…I think people were beginning to actually like the character when they decided to just end him and replace him with Pre-Flashpoint. I surely miss him. I actually really wanted to see where his relationship with Wonder Woman would go to. I was more hoping for a New Avengers direction with their children taking up mantles of a cross between Wonder Woman and Superman. I think I saw a picture once of that, a daughter of Supes and WW where she had her mother's bracelets, boots and if I'm not mistaken lasso as well, but also has Superman's S shield on her chest. Oh well, I'm rendered incredibly sad here.**

**Now, with this story, as you might have seen, I've taken inspiration and even scenes from every depiction of Superman in media. I'm actually not sure if I delved into Smallville or Lois &amp; Clark tv shows. Probably not.**

**So this is pretty much the end of the story. I might touch up a few of the chapters here and there, might add a few more chapters but overall, this story is quite finished. **

**Right now I'm working on both Legend of the Batman, Wonder Woman: Wrath of War and quite soon a Green Lantern one too. I may even do a Batman v Superman of my own. On that note, if you guys have any ideas about stories or how you'd like me to handle any of the characters here that would be helpful, so, reviews please.**


	34. ARCHIVE I

**ARCHIEVE I**

**AN INTRODUCTION**

In the endless reaches of the universe, Guardian sanctioned Sector 2813, there once existed a planet known as Krypton, a planet approximately one and a half times larger than the Earth— that burned like a green star orbiting a harsh red sun in the distant heavens.

There, more than 4000-million years of evolution produced a race of supermen, whose mental as well as physical traits had developed beyond the peak of human perfection. They had developed scientific advancements far beyond those of present-day Earth, even discovering a method to conquer the most deadly of diseases, create a method of longevity that had all but become a natural trait of itself within the Kryptonian genome.

Yet for all that boasted upon their civilization, they were subject to the flaws of the hubris of mortal beings, a hubris that ultimately blinded them to their own looming destruction.

The history of Krypton is unique in many ways especially against that of Earth. For instance: the concept of nationality and countries or boarders was not as heavily promoted within the society as most planet civilizations. As such, many historians from other planets find culture or society on Krypton to be rather bland and uninteresting, focussing more on the individual Noble Houses that resided within like House Ur or prominently of the House of El and their achievements.

* * *

**PRIMORDIAL KRYPTON**

* * *

**The Evolution of Krypton:**

Much like the evolution of Mankind, Krypton endured much evolutionary changes. Like many planets capable of sustaining life, water was the key element, the first to immerge. And like any other, the molten environment created minerals. The iron in the blood, the calcium in teeth and bones, the carbon in the genes of any living organism were produced in the interior of a red sun.

Then, once conditions were ripe—tiny singular celled beings that grew to manifest multi-celled organisms started to form. In fact, this cycle is still seen in the growth and birthing of any normal born Kryptonian baby. A fact also described in detail within the Book of Rao.

Unlike that of Earth however, Kryptonians begun their race already united in one land. It was never conclusive on whereabouts that was and has often led to disputes. They had evolved into the genus Homo far quicker than that of Earth humans as well as taller. Living in rough conditions, the earliest forms of Homo habilis standing only slightly hunched back at over 10 feet 9 inches tall.

The habilis started farming the lands around five hundred-million years before the First Galactic War. Archaeologists have uncovered their early tools were far more advanced than previously expected. Tools and traps with deceased animals have been found in Corinth and Eigga, as well as farms suggested an omnivorous diet that aided in their survival and further evolution into a physical being that resembled the humanoid Homo sapiens.

Apart from intelligent humanoid species, Krypton's primordial era produced some of the most dangerous organisms in the recorded universe. Both flora and fauna species had adapted to harsh and unforgiving circumstances of the Rao sun, and like the basic principal of the lawless world, only the fit survived. The Homo sapiens, though by this point not as refined in their evolution, utilised technology instead to survive, definitively outliving their less evolved kin.

**Kryptonian Homo sapiens:**

By the time they had created the first city, a ruin still seen in the plains of Archi, a city named Eridu stood as the first ever urbanised and already organised locations. To do this also saw the appearance of the first written word that developed from the early cave and mountain paintings.

It was also revealed that they had also begun a new system of counting with the representation of nothing or absence as it was known by religious historians. With that nothing also found the idea of its exact opposite—infinity.

**Prehistoric Fauna:**

The emergence of sentient organisms and fauna was rapid, almost miraculous. The early environment did not seem to cater to such. Furthermore it is surprisingly reasonable to propose entertaining the idea of extraterrestrial seeding. Biologist Kal-Ur first coined this hypothesis based upon traces of prehistoric Daxomic minerals in natural hot springs near Callumn. Yet it is also noteworthy to mention Kryptonian metals and stones found on Daxom.

It is the isolated nature of each find that deteriorates a theory of shared evolutionary process, though it has not stopped anti-divisive movements from using this as evidence for their own ideals.

Kandorean biologists theorise that emergence of life came from the planet itself. Sediment in ancient sites in Uruk hold of a period of cooling though not to the extent of mass survival but organisms might have been able to form and differentiate in time. It appears that primate genome suggests an already developing brain and even independent thought capablity.

Other fauna classes and species however developed as it did on Earth. Soon the non-vertibrets began to merge with weaker vertibrets. Some of these had left the water far earlier.

Unlike the circumstances of Earth where the survival and further evolution of mammals relied upon the immediate extinction of their giant reptilian rivals, on Krypton this was not the case. For one thing, the homo Habilis and Sapiens had resulted to surviving within the greater trees. As years had gone by they had started developing small tribes and _**communities,**_ far out of reach of their own dinosaurs. As such one could say that they had learnt to coexist over time, even evolve side by side. So unlike the events of Prehistoric Earth, the dinosaurs did not go extinct, even with such extinction level events that occurred, the early Kryptonians write of their conservation and preservation efforts. Cave paintings along the Rock Coasts of Ghannac reveal that some later tribes had even ridden on these dinosaurs, (The Grilligite Tribe).

The Grillig were herbivorous sauroids found largely around the Lylac forests and Annuvin in the East.

* * *

**EARLY HISTORY**

* * *

**Rise of the House of El:**

Upon the discovery of distant planets and the realisation of more inhabitants across the cosmos had opened them to communication with the Maltusian Order. From here, we see one of the Kryptonian race appear as an ally to the new visitors. Col-Ur, the appointed High-King had opened his arms to them, freely.

The Maltusians, who formed the first alliance of planets, favoured above everything else order and law. Their intellect was geared more towards philosophy. They recounted to the Kryptonians the happenings of the universe. A war being waged in the stars not but three moons before had the Maltusian Order explore the vastness of space in search of allies themselves.

Not much is written of individuals at this time. Col-Ur himself writes that only his observations and research in the fields of science and philosophical mathematics. This itself reveals Ur as a rather learned and curious mind, however, by the time the War was brought to the planet, he would already be a fully grown Kryptonian man.

In the dead of night two days after their arrival, they received two more visitors—the other participants in the war.

Three factions waged conflict.

Krypton descended into chaos and war. It would be the first World War Krypton ever faced with various clans and families bearing arms against one another, torn by which faction held the best chance of survival. It started an arms race that lasted over a millennium.

The planet began adapting their technology into weapons of mass destruction. The planet went up in flames for the following seven years. All the while, the three factions reaped their share of innovation and ideas that would in turn destroy each other and half of the known universe…well, all except Darkseid who soon vanished into obscurity for the remainder of the Kryptonian War.

However, in five years prior in 2800 of the Free Age (F.A.) came with the birth of El. Not much else is known about him, only that he founded the Institute of Science prior to the birth of his first born Kon and later Tor.

During the Galactic War, the furthest planet in the Andromeda Galaxy had suffered immense loss caused by constant interstellar battles. As a result, the Maltusian Order had opted to take asylum seekers affected by the war to Krypton where they lived as third class refugees. Most were opposed to this as Krypton had even yet to choose whether to take part in the war itself, but in 2855 El had fought for the Andromedan people to enter into the planet, refugees left by the continued Galactic War still raged outside.

At some point, El had fallen in love with an Andromedan woman named Bilqis. They married and gave birth to their first child, Kon-El, whom was regarded as an abomination, the real first appearance of discrimination which was intensifying due to a realisation of overpopulation with their arrivals.

By this time, El was already established as a rather influential individual having befriended the High-King.

A disagreement between the noble houses of Krypton ignited a world war within the entire planet. House Zod and the Warrior's Clan entered into an everlasting alliance with El and his House that was not as of yet of paramount importance to the planet. It was an alliance that would stand the test of time and led to one of the greatest battles in recorded history (Archive II), as seen in the fresco that hovers within the Citadel depicting soldiers charging, a flag in the background that displayed the early sigil of the House of El (Superman: Birthright-P4).

A famous rivalry also rose from this period between House El and an opposing idea in House Van who elected to close Krypton from the rest of the universe for good. El had argued that as part of an infinitely wider universe, he believed it the duty of the entire planet as residents to bring such a conflict to halt. However he also believed the best way was for them to utilise their strengths and the only ones he believed would appreciate their talents was the Genesis Covenant.

The Kryptonian War had lasted for more than a hundred years and by this point, El's son, who on record has no other name but the negative noun "Kon", though it is known that Kon was not his birth name but a title given to him as an adolescent attending the Science Academy. In Old Kryptonish it means "Abomination", though now it holds no such negative connotations. Kon had rationalised a quest to end the War altogether as his father did and as such had managed to fight by himself and even lead a small band of militia comprised of Andromedan refugees and lower class citizens of the Tree Villages in the Old World.

In 2997 FA, the Kryptonian War ended and the Genesis Covenant became the patron Alliance of Krypton, championing Kryptonian technology that gave them an edge in the war.

**The First Galactic War 3000 F.A**:

(_See Archive III_)

With their allegiance decided, Krypton took an active role in the war efforts, providing the Genesis Covenant with its first Rail Gun, a giant weapon that intensifies light and energy in a singular path, in other words, it fired a large beam of intensified and concentrated heat energy. Retrofitted onto their warships, Genesis was given a fortuitous advantage.

The Maltusian Order struck first with the conquest of Ileum Prime. It provided them with a foothold on the centralised planetary systems and was considered key to their future victories. Genesis managed to win over Rexus IV, a planet that was known for mining a rare mineral that was instrumental in their space travel endeavours. Next the battle advanced into the outer reaches. Each had succeeded in conquering other planets, holding them for years at a time before losing others.

Within the following years, the Antimatter Pact had grown past the discovered galaxies. It was a tactic that served the Lord of Apokalipse well, building up a massive military presence that encompassed the area of dark space surrounding the battlefields. Krypton itself had even fought its own share of battles within regional space: bringing as many as seven star systems into their alliance, themselves. Though the advancements of technology at this time had rather slowed down and geared towards warfare, the weaponing of chemical and biological science had given Krypton a doorway into a broader and more intimate understanding of the atom and its nature.

By 4490 FA there did not appear to be any winners. Planets saw one overlord after another rise and fall before them, then rise again, just for it to simply be replaced yet again, and on and on it went. Kryptonian fundamentalists have speculated that this was what gave rise to the idea of the Flamebird and Nightwing: a never-ending cycle of death and destruction that soon became the basis of philosophy, the laws of reality. Yet what one could deduce from this theory is also another historic fact. In all truth there were only two factions actually fighting the war, the Antimatter Pact had come in on the scene every so often raiding supply lines from both sides.

It became evident now that Darkseid had completely abandoned the War but for what reason was unknown at the time. By this time Kon-El had already died and it would be his grandson that would uncover the Lord of Apocalipse's plan to topple reality itself. (See Archive II)

In the year 5040 FA, the Galactic War was finally declared over.

**The Culture and Society:**

The Governing body of Krypton was left to be quite simplistic for it was agreed that the divisions of peoples or the over importance of organised leadership often led to their near extinction.

This however, in some way contradicts the system as is after the Galactic Civil War where the Elder Council was formally created. Lords and representatives, the most powerful and influential families and the head of their Houses sat upon their meeting halls. These Heads represented the many countries scattered around the planet though as it appears, unlike that found on Earth, nationalism was not a concept that enamoured their minds.

In fact, for an age, Kryptonians had discarded the very idea of divisions based on racism or any form of discriminations among themselves. To the citizens that valued knowledge and progress, such trivial matters were counterproductive. In this we have a Golden Age of Kryptonian science and culture.

A time after the Galactic Civil War, when peace had encompassed the entire planet as well as the far reaching galaxies, saw advancements in interstellar explorations. The engine designs of the space crafts used during the war by every world had imperfections and defaults that limited its use to the few star systems that made up the Three Factions. A ship could not travel for long without stopping to refuel but Krypton had never been one to shy away from modifications, and altering not just the type of fuel that was used but also how that energy source was utilised.

And Krypton did not stop at just simply creating a new form of space travel, introducing an engine that was also capable of catapulting the vessel into a state of 'Hyperspace movement', providing a shortcut between two points in real space, increasing the ship's speed by reducing the distance travelled. Krypton would also pioneer space exploration with reaching past the then known galaxies, eventually discovering the Milky Way solar-system. Within the next seven thousand years, the universe had become much larger and on the forefront of this expansion was Krypton.

Some scholars attribute the progressive nature of the Kryptonian species to their lack of adherence to tradition. For the most part it is rather simple with only little variations. Another contribution actually comes from their own deep understanding of their own histories. Records of their achievements are found everywhere so very little contestation had arisen, thus no needless conflicts.

The School of Sentient Philosophy on Andromeda V have written commented that the cognitive body of all Kryptonians are of one entity. Unburdened by diversity or desire for national identity, their scientific mindset seemed endless. Though, inevitably, no world can live or thrive without a culture to fuel its natural urges and curiosity.

An example of their culture can be seen in traditional Kryptonian names. It is a system that leans towards hereditary where the children adopts the names of their fathers rather than their mothers. Males are given the name of the House they are born into through their fathers and the females take on the names of theirs. An example is Farr-Is where the masculine Farr is the given name and _**Is**_, the House that belongs to his father whereas the Feminine Fara is in front followed by the name of her father in its entirety— _**Fara **__**Orr-Is**_ would be her name. In this the system of inheritance favours the male and preserves the line of ascension.

Furthermore, it is also posssible to place the origins of a House to the region by the amount of letters in the family name. For example; those with relatively two letters like 'El from Eridu, or three letters like 'Zod' that belong to more prestigious endeavours. Common within the Warrior caste.

**Military and Law:**

It can be argued that any society in the universe as united as they appear, delve deeper still and one would find a swarm of differing opinions. As such it can be assumed and correctly so that military or presence of force and danger is required to function in a certain way. A harsh truth but spurned by fact it holds the key to civilization, not just the ideology by which society bases its existence but the methodof implementing these ideas. More importantly, an ideology as a system of management must hold these characteristics: a way to enforce itself, preserve itself and spread itself.

In most cases, to uphold all three of these aspects, an authoritative figure must be present. In its infancy Krypton had a High-King, after which had been dispelled with the end of the Third World War that then gave all power to the Elder Council of Science. Over time again, executive power was given completely to the Council and it was detached from the Academy of Science and given its own seat in Kandor.

Regardless of which form it took, the power that both the High-King and the Council held was due largely to their possession of fealty of the planet's military. In this it was Admiral Zod who led the Military Guild in the Capital.

As the Kryptonian Civilization encompassed past their own countries, divisions were needed. Military Barracks were installed in all major cities, overseeing to both protection and enforcement of law and statute. At the height of the Free Age, Krypton had grown more or less into a conquering race, though often disguised as exploration, its far reaching grasp extended well past its own sector. Using Outposts all across the galaxies, Kryptonian society and culture was allowed to be shared and had at the very least endured for millennium, up until the complete denunciation of the United Galactic Tribunal.

It started with but simple warrior clans in Xan, an ancient city in the East. When they left the treetops, the First Kryptonians who formed the first city of Eridu, Ur gained the assistance of Zod and his clan in forming the Kingship of Krypton.

Ever since, the duties of the military clans were to protect the High-King, then the regional kings, the people and the cities. After the formation of the first documents of laws and regulations known as the Ryn Codex, the responsibilities and duties of the Military Clan at this time commanded by Dra-Zod, were mainly centred upon policing. Later however they would return to warfare with the arrival of the Galactic Civil War.

**Kryptonian Religions:**

Krypton has seen only a limited variety religious evolution. At first, it was one god, an all mighty Creator Ahurakesh. In the Seventh Century of the First Civilization, Isharao-Kn later called Rao, heard the voice of the Creator instructing him to both support and to serve the Kryptonian-Andromedan Kon-El. He raised for Kon an army for the war.

After the first World War, Isharao began to preach the singular deity to the masses, opening Temples across Corinth and Ishangore, all dedicated to the faceless, formless God.

Throughout his life he received revelations that slowed down Krypton's technological progress, a fact that soon put him at odds with his former comrade and best friend Kon-El. It had nearly cost them the greater Intergalactic War.

To most of Krypton, Isharao was an outsider, there seemed little reason in his preaching. He and his followers were persecuted regularly, even by the Elder Council.

But it was the Followers of Ahurakesh that altered the course of the war. One of their own, one that would succeed Isharao-Kn, a thousand Earth Years later, Drok-El, the grandson of Kon, was made a prophet and given revelation of the Antimatter Pact's true agenda. The War was a distraction as Darkseid moved on the relative anomaly known only as Prime. With its destruction, the very fabric of reality, of space and time would unravel itself.

Again, the House of El was on the forefront of change. Under Drok-El and the Guardians of Maltuse, the known universe united in a single, powerful alliance. It was an alliance that succeeded in driving the Antimatter Pact into the abyss, saving both Prime and reality itself.

After the war, the worship of Ahurakesh was made the official faith of Krypton. One single religion to unite the planet, with a compilation of Isharao's revelations into a book and as time went by, Ishrao became Rao, and his revelations from Ahurakesh became his own— The Book of Rao it became.

It is a cruel fate, one that started many civil wars to come— to have uttered words that meant well and see it twisted and perverted. It was an inevitable dilemma as time went on, the words uttered by Isharao soon made its way into law. Historians agreed that in order to do so, the convention of the Todarian Creed had decided upon the ascension of their prophet into godhood. Isharao-Kn became a God and replaced Ahurakesh as Creator, a new deity named Rao was born from the ashes of the Old Kingdom in 7000 years after the Galactic War.

But this was still a topic that generated many such debates, especially of the authenticity of the original Book of Rao.

As legend has it, either Rao or Ahurakesh Himself sent two angels, in some cultures, minor gods, to teach Krypton of the mystical arts. Alchemy was a study quite popular in the Kryptonian equivalent to the Medieval Age. Reason was quickly vanishing, replaced by religious fanaticism cultured by the Elder Council. The Ancient Houses were nearly vanquished and even the El had started to disappear.

Historians suggest this was the period that introduced a concept of many gods. Chief among this growing pantheon was tied to the story of the Night-Wing and Flamebird. In one culture they were believed to be offspring of Rao and a Kryptonian queen, others preached that they were angels, sent to do the bidding of Ahurakesh.

There are however, some compelling evidence that Night-Wing and Flamebird were naught but dragons of the First Age, known for their longevity, they were old creatures living in the Mountain Countries. Other scholars attribute it to merely an allegory of the nature of reality itself.

Regardless, the introduction of these gods in particular had broken the faithful into two warring factions and tribes. Worshippers of the Night-Wing had the Corinthian Isles while the destructive goddess the Flamebird was the patron god of Argos and Kandor.

However these are more or less myth and legends that have spurred during the Era of Ignorance. Studies have uncovered that more likely that Rao was indeed a First Age deity and Isharao in actuality the name of the High King of the time, changing his name to thus after accepting his role as prophet.

It was a rather common trait within the religious community especially those in regal positions, a form of prayer and devotion to the Sun Disk.

**Arrival of the Brainiac Equation:**

Around the 9000s of the Free Age, a shooting star had crashed into one of the moons of Krypton, it spiralled into a lunar research facility. Dax-Ur, a leading scientist for the Mithian (4th moon) mission had uncovered a capsule within the fallen star. '…_It called to me from beyond the veil of dreams…'_ he writes in his annals, '_...a number that grew larger. Evolved into a sequence, then evolved again. Upon which I suspect became consciousness…'_ Dax-Ur then started work, opening the capsule where in side was line with a single numeric symbol over and over again in different scripts, from all across the surrounding planets.

It took him the remainder of his life to decipher the one number which after he ran it through a newer computer invented by Ar-El, had revealed a numeric sequence that seemed so complex. '_…It was a codex of itself, as complete as the Book of Rao, only far more relevant for I have found within the sequence what could only be defined as sentient consciousness…'_

Within the next decade, the Department of Scientific Advancement had finalised the closing stages. Ar-El's first son Kon (III) stood in the centre of the circular rotunda at the upper level of the Ja'al Tower. A hundred years of work for the young El had finally paid off despite his father and mother's protests and insistence against the work, ever since Dax had taken on an apprentice in Kon.

He gasped, a tear leaving his eyes as the lights dimmed and out from the screens, a million pixels poured out and took shape. It was documented as the first appearance of the consciousness. 'What are you?' Kon asked the strange entity taking the form of a glowing blue humanoid, at first it had no face but soon, its features rearranged and finally, it took the form of Kon himself.

'In a way I am a form or perhaps transcendent from an advanced Artificial Intelligence,' it said.

For a moment, Kon was speechless. He approached until they now saw eye to eye. 'A flexible rational agent capable of perceiving environmental variables to undertake actions designed to maximize success,' he sighed, barely able to contain his excitement.

'In a way, but also much, much more,' it then starts to walk around the room, around the audience that were as dumbfounded as Kon, staring wide eyed at him. 'In computer science, the idea of Artificial Intelligence is machinery capable of mimicking the same cognitive functions as homo sapient minds. For instance, if one machine becomes increasingly capable, that which required intelligence is removed from the definition completely once the capabilities are made routine. I am beyond mere cognitive response and intelligence.'

'Then what are you exactly?' asked another Kryptonian scientist.

The being looked around him, around the room filled with people, it looked with peaked interest then at Kon-El, 'I am…'

* * *

**THE CLONE RESISTANCE**

* * *

(_Continued in Archive II_)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**The thought behind this was not a complete one as such I have rather left out some aspect of the story out that I am yet to construct or feel it better place in a different story. The issue of space would likely be more explored in my Green Lantern tales and my idea was it too would hold an Appendix of sorts in the vein of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. As of now however it is more on a beta test, I would much appreciate some commentary on what I might put into it and will try to add or update this archive whenever I can based on some ideas from readers. You need but write in the review what you might want me to include. **


	35. NEXT

_**NEXT…**_

Four huge tires screech into a stop, echoing its irritation amongst the rocky caverns. The inhabitants return the call and flap around their mausoleum beneath the ground. The vehicle stops at the centre of a circular platform hovering above a deep pool of water. The platform then turns anticlockwise until the vehicle now faces the point of its entry. There is a moment of silence until the bats again begin their conversations. They watch with as much interest as a child towards their parent.

The cave was dark, murky in most places, a place that seemed to intensify the sounds made within, like the cool rush of water falling from an underground stream that emptied itself in to the cave itself, booming to life. A metal bridge made especially for the vehicle starts to descend into the waters. The point of entry now becomes hidden under a clear waterfall. The hatch of the monstrous vehicle opens. He leaps off and begins walking away.

The man is tall, heavily built but also rather nimble on his feet, not that one could tell by his steps. They were more than necessary in his job. He wears a functional outfit comprised of a dark grey and highly durable fabric. Underneath all of that was titanium dipped Kevlar tri-weave armour assigned to protect his physical being while his persona…eternally present needed no such mortal equipment.

The battered man climbs a series of spiralling steps onto a larger platform and a grey concrete room with bulletproof viewing screens overlooking the watery cavern below. Another man, much older, walks in with a trey of some coffee. Inside the room were desktops set up with advanced computing devices, blue screens displayed a news broadcast of Metropolis, and the events of the past few weeks.

A man in a blue suit, his red cape waving behind him like a flag as he zipped past the camera in a city in the midst of turmoil—an attempted extra-terrestrial assault on planet Earth. The mysterious man focussed in closer as the camera followed this Superman's movements, flying into a giant pyramid that hovered over one of the most open cities in America.

_The death toll is catastrophic…_

…_Metropolis is suffering billions of dollars in property damage…_

…_Oh dear God…The Pyramid has released a beam into the city…Mayoral Building has been completely destroyed…_

…_There is no word on the Superman after disappearing into the Pyramid and no other word from this Brainiac. There are doubts throughout the city on whether the Superman is even on our side… His timely return is even more deserving of suspicion. _

The older man sighs as he places the tray by his master's desk and proceeds to exit the cave. But before he does, Alfred turns to look at the young boy he had raised and protected for the majority of his childhood. The Batman takes off the black, metal cowl that took the form of a black horned devil. Alfred sees the billionaire reel himself closer to the screen with fascination. He was no longer a boy, but a strapping young man that still wore his pain hidden within the most vulnerable.

'You better watch it, Clark,' he spoke into the middle distance, fidgeting with a bat shaped shuriken. Then in a flash, he sent the weapon straight into a metal bar. It strangely filled him with satisfaction. 'I'm coming after you.'

-=**O=-**

_**TO BE CONTINUED…**_

…_**IN…**_

**-=BATMAN/SUPERMAN=-**


End file.
